Trusting Implicitly
by njchrispatrick
Summary: Sirius doesn't know it but several of his memories were Obliviated years before. Harry doesn't know it but James and Lily were only supposed to be temporary caretakers. What ties these two together? And who is this mysterious woman with connections to everyone who has ever been seen as evil?
1. Chapter 1

James and Lily Potter walked into Albus Dumbledore's office the morning of August 1st in response to a summons they had received from the Headmaster.

"Ah, James Lily," he said, "Good to see that you are here."

"Good morning Albus," said Lily as they sat down in the plushy chairs across from him. "What did you need?"

Dumbledore sat back and stared at them for a moment. "It is a matter of great urgency," he said. "It concerns your friend Sirius."

James and Lily looked at each other nervously. They knew that it must important, because Dumbledore had neglected to offer them a lemon drop like he usually did.

"What's happened?" asked James, "Is Sirius alright?"

Dumbledore got up and walked over to his cabinet and withdrew his pensieve, then placed it on the desk in front of the Potters.

"I received a letter last night," said Dumbledore. "From a woman named Diane Valcroux, the last living member of a minor pureblood family in France. Her letter requested urgent help from me specifically, no one else. When I got there we had a…interesting conversation. Apparently she was close with Sirius, and there is something that as his friends you need to know."

Dumbledore withdrew the silvery strand of a memory from his head and gently placed it into the pensieve before gesturing to it. James and Lily dropped in, closely followed by Dumbledore.

_~Memory~_

_The memory Dumbledore walked up to a large house near a beach, where a young woman was gently swinging on a porch swing and staring out at the waves._

_"Excuse me," said Dumbledore, "Are you Miss Diane Valcroux?"_

_"Yes," she said, her musical voice quiet. "Are you Albus Dumbledore?"_

_"I am," he said. "You said in your letter that you needed help from me? What is wrong?"_

_She turned to look at him. She was very beautiful. She had long dark brown hair which blew in the wind, surrounding a pale face, tear tracks down her cheeks. Her eyes were a beautiful amethyst purple, though they showed great sadness._

_"I need your protection," she said._

_"From who my dear?" Dumbledore asked. Diane gave a weak laugh._

_"Not for me, but for my child. Come." Diane got up from the swing and walked to the door, though Dumbledore could see that it was hard for her to walk. He followed her into a sitting room, and she sat down next to a baby's crib. He could see a small, obviously newborn baby asleep in it._

_"What of his father?" asked Dumbledore._

_"He is the one who told me to send for you if I am in trouble," she said. "You taught him, and he trusts you."_

_"I have taught a lot of people," said Dumbledore. "Who is it that you are referring to?"_

_"Sirius Black," she said with a small smile. "This is his son, Rigel Sirius Black. He is named for a star, as follows Black tradition."_

_The expression on Dumbledore's face was utter shock. "But what about Sirius?" he asked. "Why-"_

_"He does not know," she said. Then she saw Dumbledore's face and elaborated. "Not because I never told him or because Rigel is illegitimate, but because Sirius was obliviated. He never told anyone, but we were married many months ago. There wasn't even a ceremony, just us signing a marriage contract. He was planning on having a proper wedding after the war." She gave Dumbledore another small smile. "But then he found out that I was expecting. He was overjoyed, but then he realized the danger that the child was in, considering that Sirius was fighting on the front line of the war. He told me to obliviate him so that I could be properly hidden, and to come and find him when it was safe."_

_Dumbledore sat down and took a minute to process it. "So," he said after a moment, "Why have you called me now?"_

_"Because I can no longer protect my son," she said. "I am dying." She pulled her shirt up a bit and Dumbledore could see a long purple scar across her stomach. "I was attacked last month when I went for a checkup. The curse is one which poisons your organs and causes you to slowly die. The healers were able to prevent the curse from harming the baby, but…not me."_

_She reached down and gently lifted Rigel up and held him in her arms. "The curse is reaching its final stages. As you probably saw, it is getting hard for me to even move, and I am no longer fit to take care of a child. That is why I have called you; I am hoping that you can find someone to protect him until Sirius can."_

_Dumbledore swallowed but nodded. "I will do my best," he said._

_Diane nodded and pulled out her wand, tapping the crib and shrinking it down before placing it in a large bag next to her. "This contains everything you will need to take care of him, just give it to whoever takes him in."_

_Dumbledore picked up the bag, neglecting to shrink it because of the already shrunken objects within it._

_Diane gently kissed the baby's head and held him close. "I love you little one," she whispered. "Go and change the world."_

_~Memory End~_

The trio pulled out of the memory, shocked expressions on the faces of James and Lily. "So…Sirius had a son?" said James.

"Is that why you brought us here?" asked Lily, "Do you want us to take care of him?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly. "Ever astute Lily; yes, I would like you to take care of him. You are well protected; few people have seen Lily recently so it won't be hard to pretend that she had a child, and because Sirius would still be able to get to know his son. I was thinking that he could be the 'godfather'."

James and Lily looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously nodding. "We'll do it," said James. "But what about Peter, Remus, and Sirius? Sure, Lily has been hidden, but they still saw her."

"Quite simple," said Dumbledore, "We will simply alter their memory so they think that you had your child yesterday, and today they are going to visit you. Now, if you please follow me, we can go to the hospital wing where Poppy has been watching over him."

They all walked down to the hospital wing, mostly listening to Lily talk about all of the things that she wanted to do for the baby. When they walked into the wing they were greeted by the strange sight of Madame Pomfrey cooing over a small baby who was lying in a crib. When they came in she immediately stood up and straightened her apron, trying to smother a blush.

Lily, however, ignored her and headed straight for the crib where the little baby boy was wriggling around. "Hello there," she said. He blinked up at her and moved a bit more. Lily took this as permission to pick him up, which she did, holding him against her. "Oh, he is so adorable!" she breathed.

James walked over and looked down at Rigel, who in return stared up at him and blinked again. "Um…hello…baby," he said hesitantly. Lily giggled a bit and Dumbledore smiled before pulling out his wand.

"Now that we are all together, there is something else we need to do." The other three people looked at him in confusion, so he explained. "We need to disguise young Mr. Black here, so he looks like you. The spell requires one strand of hair from each of you."

James and Lily nodded before each handing him a strand of their hair, red and black. Dumbledore gently laid them into Rigel's hands and began to chant his spell. There was a flash of light and Rigel's appearance had morphed.

"Wow," said James. "That was…fast." He looked down at the baby's face, now so much like his own except for Lily's eyes. He felt a pang of guilt. "Albus," he said, "I can't help but feel guilty. This is like stealing Sirius's son!"

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "Do not worry James," he said as he smiled down at the baby. "Everything will work out fine."

* * *

_Just over 14 years later_

Sirius Black was desperately trying to not fall asleep as he sat in the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. They were currently all sitting in his decrepit old family house around a table, discussing something or other about Voldemort's forces. In all honesty Sirius was just sick and tired of being trapped in the house for the foreseeable future. He zoned in for a moment to listen to Moody's talking.

"-and Voldemort's followers don't seem to even care that he is abolishing their so called 'pure' lines. Many of the French have stayed away from him, especially after the slaughter of the Danier, Finnbar, and Valcroux families."

Sirius stiffened when he heard the last name. Valcroux, where had he heard that? Suddenly he felt a pounding headache blossom in his forehead, and an image swam into view of a beautiful woman with dark hair and a melodious laugh.

"Sirius, my boy, are you alright?" asked Dumbledore suddenly, pulling Sirius out of his stupor. He saw everyone looking at him and realized that he had been rubbing his head for a couple minutes.

"Huh? Oh…yea, I'm good. Just a headache," he said quickly. A few people nodded and everyone went back to ignoring him, though Dumbledore did stare at him for a moment.

Sirius rubbed his head again as he tried to remember where he heard the name Valcroux. 'Now, I know I have heard of it. But where…?'

* * *

Harry was sitting in Defense Against the Dark Arts, alternatively glaring at his teacher, Dolores Umbridge (or Umbitch), and glaring at his worth-less-than-firewood textbook. It was taking all his willpower to not speak out against her, but he did _not_ want another one of her detentions.

School had been in session for a month, and he had already had four of her bloody detentions, emphasis on the bloody. In fact, he had a feeling that if he had one or two more, his hand wouldn't heal and he would be left with another disgusting scar.

"Alright class," continued Umbridge in her simpering voice, which somehow was able to grate across every one of Harry's nerves, which took skill. "Who can tell me about werewolves?"

Harry just missed being smacked by Hermione's hand as it shot up at a speed which should have given her whiplash in her arm. Umbridge eyed every other person in the class before sighing dramatically and nodding at Hermione.

"Well, a werewolf is a person who is afflicted with lycanthropy. That is to say, they turn into a wolf when touched by the light of a full moon. During this time, the person's human mind is overtaken by the wolf's instincts and they lose control. All other times they are indistinguishable from the common human. Also, the difference between an animagus and a werewolf is that the werewolf has absolutely no choice in the transformation, while the animagus elects to turn into an animal voluntarily," finished Hermione, once again sounding like she had swallowed the textbook. She took a deep breath and settled back.

Umbridge gave a predatory smile, showing off all her teeth. "That is _almost_ correct Ms. Granger," she said, making the _almost_ so high-pitched that half the class winced. "However, you are incorrect in stating that they are normal humans the rest of the time, or that they have human minds. Werewolves are but common _beasts_!" Here she gave another maddening giggle and looked straight at Harry, obviously hoping for some reaction.

Harry just gave her a tight smile and crushed his quill into tiny pieces under the desk. She eyed him for a moment before moving on.

"Werewolves are violent savages, which is why, in the last war, they allied themselves with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and caused mass bloodshed. They desire nothing more than the destruction of the good, _decent_ humans. Luckily now, with him gone, we can corral the filthy creatures."

"That's not true!" yelled Ron suddenly. "Professor Lupin was the greatest Defense teacher we've had! He-"

"Was a filthy half-breed," Umbridge finished sweetly. "Oh, and detention for a week with Mr. Filch for interrupting me."

Harry was focusing on his breathing exercises when suddenly he felt a sharp jab in his side. He turned his head and saw Hermione gesturing from him to Umbridge with her eyes. When he obviously didn't understand she sighed and turned back to the book.

As soon as class was over Hermione met him outside and began to dig into him. "Harry James Potter! I can't _believe_ you just let her insult Professor Lupin like that! And why didn't you tell her that You-Know-Who is back!"

Harry groaned inwardly. Hermione was a nice girl, really, but times like these he wondered why he was friends with her. She had such an annoying habit of acting like she was a goddess walking among mortals, and was always right. Case-in-point: S.P.E.W.

"Hermione," he said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair tiredly. "I don't know if you saw it, but she was goading me to get a response. I don't want any more of her sadistic detentions, so I am trying to lay low and stay invisible."

Hermione frowned and put her hands on her hips. "So what, you let Ron get in trouble?"

He rolled his eyes. "Hermione, she would have just given me detention as well. I don't know why you think that we would've traded off."

Hermione groaned aloud and threw her hands up in a dramatic sigh before turning and walking off towards the library. Harry shook his head sadly before heading in the direction of the Gryffindor common room. On the way he saw Neville and hurried up to walk with him.

"Hiya Neville," he said cheerfully as he walked next to the shy, round-faced boy. Neville jumped and turned to him with wide eyes before smiling.

"Oh, h-hi Harry," he said with a smile. Harry noticed that Neville was balancing a stack of five thick books and reached out to grab three.

"Here Neville," he said with a smile as he took them. "Let me get some of those."

Neville shifted the other two books and gave Harry a grateful smile. They walked in silence for a moment before Neville spoke again. "I don't blame you." Harry gave him a confused look, so he elaborated. "For not speaking out against her. I know that her detentions are horrible, even though I have never been in them. I don't think that Professor Lupin would want you to get hurt on his behalf."

Harry nodded to himself; he knew that, but it was nice to hear it from someone else. "You're lucky that you have never had one of her detentions."

"Oh, she has wanted to give me one, but she can't. She knows that if she does then I will be able to give my grandmother proof of her cruelty, and then she will be fired. As powerful as Umbridge is, the fact of the matter is that my grandmother is proxy for The Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom until I come of age, which allows her power in the House of Lords."

Harry's eyebrows shot into his hairline at that. "Wow Neville, I never knew that. Honestly, I never knew anything about the House of Lords, or even that the titles were anything more than titles."

Neville gave him a queer look. "Really? Why not? After all, you are the Heir of the Noble House of Potter."

Harry stared at him in shock. "I'm the Heir of what?"

Neville's eyes widened. "Oh, you didn't know? Your family is a Noble family. The Noble families and the Ancient Families fall under the Noble and Most Ancient Families. Potter is Noble because of some great deed, but not old enough to be an Ancient family."

Harry frowned slightly as he heard that. "So…like the Blacks? They are a Noble and Most Ancient family, right?"

Neville cringed a bit but nodded in acquiescence.

Harry nodded to himself. "I am going to go research that Neville, thanks."

* * *

A few days later Harry had barricaded himself in the back corner of the library with a pile of books on wizarding families, the House of Lords, and a few others related to wizarding families.

"So that's what Sirius meant when he said that all pureblood families are interrelated," he muttered as he eyed one of the books holding the (released) family marriage histories. Apparently, no one outside of the families was allowed to know their entire families, because the tapestries were only for the family members to see.

He ducked his head behind the books as Ron came walking around the corner, but turned when he say the piles of books. Apparently Ron didn't think that Harry would ever read voluntarily.

Harry had been avoiding his two friends ever since the fight he had with Hermione after Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione apparently had decided to wait until he had recognized her as being right, and Ron followed her like a puppy dog.

He would just roll his eyes at the two. When would they realize that they belonged together? Honestly. In this case, opposites attract. Ron was, quite frankly, dumb, as opposed to Hermione's brain. Ron was lazy, Hermione was hard-working. Ron was rude in ignorance, Hermione was rude in knowledge.

He snickered to himself as he pulled the invisibility cloak around himself and headed out of the library, moving past Ron, who was still searching.

Harry considered going to the common room, but he figured that Hermione might be there, and then he might have to deal with her glares, or even worse, her nagging for him to teach a Defense club. As if he actually wanted something else to do.

Suddenly he slammed into someone and fell back down onto his butt, his cloak being pulled askew. He hurriedly pulled it off as he looked at who he had bumped into.

"Hello Harry Potter," said the blonde-haired girl he ran into.

"Oh... hello," he said slowly. What was her name…? "Luna, right? Luna Lovegood?"

She gave him an off-kilter smile. "Oh, you remember me! That's nice. Most people call me Loony."

He frowned slightly at that and reached out a hand to pull her to her feet. "That's no very nice of them."

She stumbled a bit as she was pulled upright, but steadied herself, her radish earrings swinging a bit. "It's fine, it's all in good fun. They sometimes hide my shoes for me to find. I think that it is the Wrackspurts. Though, I wish that they would tell me where I should look…"

A frown creased his forehead he heard that. "Is that what you are doing now? Would it be alright if I helped?"

She smiled more widely than he had ever seen her smile, and nodded. "That would be nice Harry Potter."

"Erm…just Harry is fine. So…have you tried to summon them?"

She shrugged slightly and began to lead him down one of the hallways. "I haven't learned that yet, and I'm rubbish at Charms."

He nodded and drew his wand. "Okay, is it your shoes?"

"Yes. They are purple with green stripes."

He paused for a moment before nodding. "O…kay. _Accio Luna's shoes_!"

The stood for a moment before there was a whizzing sound and a pair of shoes came shooting around the corner. Harry ducked and they flew over his head and into Luna's hands.

She smiled and immediately sat down, pulling them on. After they were on she jumped up. "Very nice, thank you Harry P…Harry. Now I can go visit the Thestrals without my feet getting cold."

He followed her as she changed her course and began to head for the entrance hall. "Thestrals?"

"Yes, they are the creatures that pull the carriages. They can only be seen by those who have seen death. They are viewed as bad omens in many places…"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I managed to pull together another chapter. I still really need ideas! I have no good plans for this one, other than the family trees I drew. The links to them are on my profile.**

* * *

Harry plopped down on his bed and began to pen a letter to Sirius. They hadn't had a lot of contact in the first month, what with Umbridge and OWL year. As he thought about it, he realized that Ron and Hermione had been really the only people that he had corresponded with over his school years. No _wonder_ everyone thought he was an evil cheat; he was always isolated!

_Dear Snuffles_

_First off, sorry that I haven't written. It has been hectic with OWL prep. You should see the Ravenclaws; they act like it is the coming of the apocalypse and unless they know every single date, spell, and theory they will be consumed in the end of days. It is honestly pretty funny._

_I met this weird girl…Luna Lovegood is her name. She has this very strange manner of talking about creatures that (I think) don't exist. But, at the same time, she is very nice. And NO I don't have a crush on her. Get your mind out of the gutter, old man._

_Hermione, Ron, and I have sorta split up. Hermione is a nice girl, but she is such a nag! It has just gotten worse with time. Ron follows her like a lovesick puppy; he definitely had a crush on her._

_I hope that you are doing okay, and are not being driven mad in that ugly old house. I figure that Mrs. Weasley is probably nagging you into oblivion._

_Harry_

* * *

_"I think that it will be a boy," he proclaimed loudly._

_She laughed, placing a delicate hand on her stomach. "A boy, really? Why are you so sure?"_

_He lifted his nose and pointed it upwards in a mockery of typical pureblood look-down-the-nose fashion. "Why, father's intuition of course." Then he lowered his face and smiled widely. "I love saying that word. Father. I'm going to be a dad!"_

_She smiled indulgently at her husband. "Heaven help us, another Marauder. Sirius Black the Second." She gave a mock shudder._

_He crossed his arms and gave her a fake pout. "But I thought you loved me?"_

_She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Honestly, you are such a drama queen. I love you, but I don't think I could handle two of you."_

_Sirius ran a hand through his long black hair and grinned smugly. "Well, I bet he will be handsome and look just like me. Me and Padfoot Jr."_

_"So he will be over six feet tall with a beard?" She smirked._

_Sirius scowled playfully. "Well, not **yet**." He paused and tapped his unshaven chin in thought. When it was just him and his wife he often forgot essentials like shaving in favor of…other things. "He might be like that when he gets older. Of course, I am the tallest male in our family. At the same time, though, he might not get my height."_

_She snorted. "You are still so assured that it will be a boy."_

_He tugged her over to the couch and they sat down. "Honestly? I don't care if it is a boy or if it's a girl. Heck, I don't care as long as the baby is healthy."_

_She shot him a sly look. "Even if we have twins?"_

_He nodded firmly. "Fine with me."_

_"Triplets?"_

_He paused. "Erm…doable."_

_"Quintuplets?"_

_He shot her a slightly fearful look. "Darling, are you trying to tell me something?"_

_She shot him a serious glare in return, but it faltered when she cracked up laughing. "Y-Your f-face!" she gasped, clutching her stomach. Suddenly the laughter cut off and she gasped. "Oh!"_

_In a flash he was standing with a worried look plastered onto his features. "What is it? What's wrong? Are you ok?"_

_She nodded quickly as she rubbed her lower abdomen. "Yes, yes…I'm fine. It's just…the baby kicked!"_

_The worried look was quickly replaced with joy, and Sirius got down on one knee next to the couch. He reached out slowly and placed a hand on her stomach. He furrowed his brow, not feeling anything._

_"Give it a moment."_

_Suddenly a small force collided with his hand, noticeable even through the layer of skin separating them. Sirius's face split into an enormous grin. "See? See?" he cried, jumping up and down in excitement. "That's a strong kick! I told you it was a boy!"_

_She just shook her head in exasperation. "You are unceasingly persistent, aren't you? I wonder if the baby will get that."_

_Sirius stopped hopping and cocked an eyebrow at her. "We both have our fair shares of stubbornness. Remember our first meeting?"_

_She shook her head at him. "That wasn't stubbornness on my part; you were an immature teenager! I was raised to ignore ruffians like you."_

_"Ruffians!" He placed a hand on his heart and swooned dramatically, falling to the couch. "Oh, you wound me my dearest! **Ruffian**, me? Oh, the horror!" He leaned in towards her midsection. "Hear that little guy; your mother is emotionally abusive to me!"_

_She snorted again as she smacked him with a pillow. "You know, you are going to make this baby be a boy by sheet force of will."_

_He grinned up at her, grabbing the other pillow. "When have you known me to be anything but thorough?"_

Sirius shot into a sitting position, gasping harshly as sweat dripped down his face. He whipped his head around as he took stock of where he was. In bed, in his father's old room, in the Black family mausoleum—house, he meant to say house.

He rubbed his face with his hands as another headache blossomed. They were occurring more and more frequently, he noticed. Not enjoyable in the least. Even worse, headache potions didn't help cure them at all. And now he was having strange dreams…just who was that woman? He certainly didn't recognize her. At least, he didn't _think_ that he recognized her. She was very pretty, with a memorable face.

Sirius sighed and stood from the bed, slipping on a robe to cover himself. There was no point in going back to bed now; he would be unable to get back to sleep. He couldn't take a Dreamless Sleep potion, because he had one yesterday, and they had to be used sparingly or addiction would set in.

He cracked open the door and stuck his head out into the hallway, glancing from side to side. Not that he expected to see anyone; he was the only person sleeping on this floor of the house. All the bedrooms meant for guests were on the second story of the house.

Grimmauld Place may be what the house was currently called, due to the townhouses built around it, but it wasn't always like that. It was once the London Manor House for the Black family. There were only two major ones; this one, and a full-scale mansion out in the countryside, far from here. Grimmauld was made up of six stories, four above ground and two below. The ground floor held the main dining room, sitting room, and various other rooms all meant for day visitors to explore and view. The second was guest bedrooms, while the third was bedrooms for family. The fourth was an amalgamation of things; for example, the Black family paintings, stretching back for years. The two basement floors were for the dueling chamber, potion laboratory, and even a torture chamber.

Sirius headed for the nearest restroom, which was luckily just down the hall from his bedroom. He was just happy that all the toilets and showers were fully functioning; plumbing was _not_ his strong suit.

He grimaced slightly as he stared at his reflection. Gods above, he looked _awful_. His once luscious black hair was ratty and unkempt, his handsome face sallow and covered by a scraggly beard, and his stormy grey eyes were sunken. No wonder Molly always nagged him about his appearance. He should nag himself about his appearance! He looked more like an escapee of a prison camp then he did responsible godfather or fighter of Voldemort.

He reached over to the cupboard and began to remove his father's old grooming kit. Normally he would have steered clear of things belonging to his family, but this was a noteworthy exception. Besides, his dear old dad hadn't been nearly as bad as his mother. Orion Black was just more laid back and distant, while Walburga was the biggest bitch of the Black family.

He set to work shaving his beard and trimming his hair, while at the same time his mind wandered. He had a lot of work to do, not just to his appearance, but in general. He knew how important it was that he did work for the Order, but his godson came first. When he escaped from Azkaban he should have gone straight to Harry and explained the whole thing, from the mistaken choice of Secret-Keepers to the fiasco with Peter Pettigrew. But no, he had gone running after the rat, letting Harry think the worst of him. Even then, he should have known that killing Peter was a horrible idea. That would just destroy all credible evidence of his innocence. Sure, they could use Veritaserum, but only if they let him have a trial.

He banished the clumps of black hair from the sink with a simple _Evansceo_ before taking in his appearance. It wasn't much of an improvement, but it was a step up. He went from looking like someone who broke out of an asylum to someone who hadn't eaten or seen daylight in months. With hair a more decent length, and the beard gone, he just looked thin, haggard, and pale. That could be fixed with some decent meals and the healthy usage of an Exercise Charm.

The Exercise Charm was more of a training assistant for those who wanted to lost weight or gain muscle quickly. It just increased the net gain from acts of fitness. For example, with the charm, running ten miles would give you the physical benefits of having run twenty miles. It was just what he needed. The paleness wouldn't go away completely—the Blacks were naturally pale—but he could go from being sickly white to being a healthy pale. Harry might appreciate the charm. At his age teenage boys wanted to look good.

He exited the bathroom and began to make his way to the kitchen. He didn't even really need to exercise; he just needed to use the charm before cleaning duty began. Easy enough.

He leaned into the tapestry room and grinned at the dusty old family tapestry. "Well you lot," he drawled, "I may not be the Heir you imagined, but I'm the heir that you've got. Wish me luck!"

With that he grinned and ducked out of the room and trounced off down the hallway, not looking back.

It was a shame, really, that he missed the thread going down from the scorch mark which once held his name. The thread that connected with another name, one he did not know.

_Rigel Sirius Black  
1980-_

* * *

Dumbledore sifted through his memories, viewing his meeting with Diane Valcroux—or, more accurately, Diane Black née Valcroux—again. The decision to hide his own son from Sirius was weighing heavily on the Headmaster's conscience as the year passed. Harry was hurt and lost, weighed down by the burden of his classmate Cedric's death, and the subsequent revival of the one who ruined his life.

He had seen Harry, wandering through the halls like a ghost, gaze drifting out of focus and path meandering back and forth. It wasn't healthy for the boy to be this isolated. He had seen the tentative talks with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, but it wasn't enough. There had obviously been a break in the 'Golden Trio', due to Hermione and Ron siding against Harry in something. It was a sad fact of life that friends often grew apart with age. This was a time that Harry would need friends even more, to ground and support him.

Sirius wasn't much better. He was still emotionally weak from his incarceration in Azkaban, and it was certainly not helped by living in his family's house, the place of his childhood torment. He had escaped from that house to go live with the Potters, showing how much he despised the other members of the Black family.

But, at the same time, those were the reasons why he _couldn't_ inform the two of their relation. Sirius wasn't yet capable of handling fatherly duties, because of the bounty on his head. He couldn't and wouldn't be able to take that role up until he was declared innocent. As for Harry, he was so starved for familial love that he would latch onto Sirius at first chance and never let go.

Dumbledore was truly sad to have made Harry grow up with the Dursleys. He had never guessed, never even _thought_, that they would be as neglectful and emotionally abusive as they were. Arabella hadn't seen the signs; perhaps she was the incorrect choice to be Harry's watcher.

It was not because of blood relation that Harry was safe at the Dursleys; rather, it was because there was no blood relation. If he spread the word that Harry was safe with relatives when he wasn't actually with relatives, the Death Eaters' searches would run cold. All tracking spells would die out, and not one of them knew how to track someone in the muggle world.

There was also a notable lack of safe and open homes in the Wizarding World that Harry could have stayed at. The Weasleys did care for him, but they already were stretched to the limit. Other families would have been willing, but they were too well-known, or they were recovering from the war.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. He promised himself that he would wait no longer than a year to reveal the staggering secret to Sirius and Harry. Perhaps it would be best if Sirius knew first, before Harry. It wouldn't be good for both of them to be in extreme emotional duress.

He popped a lemon drop into his mouth as he gently placed the pensieve back in its cabinet. Secrets like this were ever so hard to keep, but hopefully the two of them wouldn't hate him for it.

* * *

Remus yawned and stretched, fighting off the belligerent hold of sleep. Getting up in the mornings was such hard work this close to the full moon. Even more so in this dark house, where night seemed to reign.

He strolled into the kitchen and was surprised to see his normally lethargic friend bustling around, making breakfast. His hair was cut to a reasonable length and he had shaven, and the difference was notable.

"Morning Remmy!" Sirius said cheerfully as he spied his old friend.

Remus blinked in shock, not quite believing the images that his eyes were feeding to his brain. "Sirius? I'm…surprised to see you up and about at this time."

Sirius shrugged. "I was actually up an hour or so ago. I just figured that I could make breakfast if I am already awake."

Remus gave him a deadpan stare. "How…mature of you."

Anything else he might have been planning on saying was cut off as the Weasley family came barging in. Sirius's smile grew fixed as Molly nearly shoved him away from the stove in an effort to maintain control of what she deemed 'her domain'—the kitchen. Not even remembering that this was SIRIUS'S house.

'Godric help her when he finally grows tired of her nagging,' thought Remus with a sigh. He watched Sirius's face flush red in anger as he stomped away. 'The infamous Black family temper. She won't know what hit her.'

* * *

**A/N: I don't care how ludicrous a thought seems; send it! Even if I don't use it, it may spark more thoughts.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you Teufel1987 for ideas!**

**For my readers, know that I don't picture Sirius like in the movies. Bad actor pick. I imagine him like Lancelot or Gwaine from Merlin, except with Black hair. Or look at the picture for this story.**

**Also, please look at the links on my profile page to the family trees I drew. It will help give some understanding.**

* * *

Harry decided that he really shouldn't be surprised. After all, it was Luna, and she defied all types of normality. Personally he believed that she enjoyed it. Perhaps for her, reality was as pointless as normality.

"Hello Harry Potter," said Luna from her spot on the floor.

"Hi Luna," he said, looking back and forth to check that no one was heading down the hallway. "What are you doing?"

"Having tea with Lady Olivia."

Lady Olivia nodded from her portrait. Luna had spread out a blanket on the floor, in the middle of the hallway, and had apparently decided to have tea with the portrait. She was dressed in her pajamas and was only wearing socks on her feet. Luna had a small tea set out, while Lady Olivia had the same in her portrait. It was rather an interesting sight to watch.

Harry opened his mouth to comment on the fact that it was probably unwise to sit down in the middle of the hallway where people need to pass, but after a moment he closed his mouth, thinking better of it. Luna would most likely just invite any passing person to join her.

"You look rather like a goldfish when you do that, Harry Potter," observed Luna.

Harry finally shook his head in bemusement. Well if you can't beat them. "Mind if I join?"

Luna's entire posture seemed to brighten as she nodded cheerfully. He followed her example, removing his shoes as he plopped down on the blanket. He swore that he saw Lady Olivia offer him a thankful smile from her portrait, but when he looked at her it was gone.

"Tea?"

He took the cup from Luna and smiled as she began to tell him of the magical creatures that she believed lived in magical portraits. Luna was extremely strange, but that was what made her so wonderful.

* * *

_She slapped her husband's hand away from where it was creeping up her thigh. "Not now Sirius. I'm trying to decide." She kept flipping through the book in front of her, face tensed in concentration._

_"But why?" whined Sirius, stretching out the word 'why'. He stood from his spot on the floor and pushed aside several of the books on the table so he could sit on it. He reached for the book his wife was holding, but she yanked it out of his grasp._

_She turned to scowl at him. "I told you, if it is a tradition that stretches back for as far as you say it does then I wish to honor that."_

_He sputtered in shock. "I didn't tell you that so that you could follow it! You asked! I think it's stupid!"_

_She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You don't think it is stupid; you just think that your family is stupid. There is a difference. Besides, how do you know that the others were as bad as your current ones are?"_

_"Because. I. Know." He hissed, punctuating each word with a grab for the book. Unfortunately she just jumped from the chair and stood, glaring at him. He wilted slightly under the glare._

_She managed to keep the glare for a moment before sighed and tugging on her dark brown hair. "Look Sirius, I understand that you don't want to honor family traditions, because you hate your family, but I think that it is nice. Besides, maybe you can bring your family name into a better light."_

_He snorted and shook his head. "The Blacks in a better light? I'd like to see that."_

_She sighed and sat down on the table next to him. "Sirius," she said softly, pulling his chin so that he could look at her. "Look at me. I've told you about my family; they were probably much worse than yours. But I am not evil. Our family does not define who we are."_

_His gaze softened as he watched her. "Diane, it isn't that I dislike the idea. I just dislike feeling like I am letting them win. I just know that my mother would think that the naming is for her or the rest of them." He curled his lip in disgust._

_She grinned widely, showing off her teeth. "Alright then, we'll do it a bit differently." She opened the book and began to flip through it, her eyes scanning the pages._

_"What are you doing?"_

_Diane looked up at him. "You said that you would prefer a muggle name because it would irritate your family because muggle names are common and not unique. I like unique names. You don't like how weird the names of your family members are. So, we'll make a compromise."_

_He sat up a bit, interest peaked. "What do you mean?"_

_"Here!" she said, pointing. "How is this? It isn't really weird like your other relatives have, but it does fit the criteria."_

_He followed her finger and raised an eyebrow. "Leo? It certainly is better than Arcturus or Phineas. I don't know, isn't it a little too Gryffindor for you?" He looked at her through his bangs, a smug grin on his face._

_Diane wacked him with the back of her hand. "Oh, be serious will you?" He opened his mouth with the clear intention of speaking but was stopped when she clamped a hand down over his mouth. "Sirius Orion Black, I swear that if you use that joke again it will be the couch for a week."_

_He winced and nodded, closing his mouth with an expression like a reprimanded dog._

_"I don't know about Leo," she continued. "I do like it a little, but it does seem a bit short. Besides, I would get very sick of hearing puns from both your names."_

_Sirius flashed a wolfish grin. "Yea, I guess that you are right. Maybe as backup."_

_She nodded absently, flipping the page of Sirius's old Astronomy book. "It shows how much you disliked this class if the book feels like it has barely been used."_

_Sirius waved a hand dismissively. "It was a pointless class. My mother made me learn all the star names when I was a kid. The family tapestry did have some uses."_

_"What about this one?"_

_Sirius leaned over and shook his head. "No, definitely not. First off, that is as Slytherin as Leo is Gryffindor. Besides, my dearest cousin 'Cissa plans on naming her little spawn Draco." He pointed at another. "This one maybe?"_

_Diane scoffed. "Oh you must be joking. There is no way we will name him Hercules."_

_"Why not?" asked Sirius with an offended look. "It is the most masculine name there is! Hercules was the buff dude who thrashed monsters!"_

_"No. Not that. Hercules was a Greek musclehead, and I hope that our son has at least some intelligence. Also, no gloating."_

_Sirius smirked at her. "You are just annoyed that I was right about the baby being a boy."_

_She obviously would not dignify that with a response. "Cygnus isn't that bad, but I know that you wouldn't want a name that another Black has had recently, if at all."_

_He nodded._

_"What about this?"_

_He read the name and a grin appeared on his face. "Rigel? I like it. The brightest star in the constellation Orion."_

_She nodded in agreement. "It is a star name, it is unique, but it isn't really weird. I mean who would name their kid Cepheus?"_

_"My family."_

_"Good point." She smirked at him. "Rigel Sirius Black. I like it. Short and sweet." She tapped her slightly inflated stomach with one hand before shooting a coy glance at Sirius. She leaned over towards him, enjoying his reaction. "Now. Where were we?"_

Sirius's eyes snapped open and he breathed heavily, blinking his eyes to adjust to the sudden influx of light. He swore as he realized the 'little problem' the memory had caused, and he was quick to drape his robes over his lap.

Sirius had been puzzling over the mystery that was the dreams he kept having. They had been happening night after night, more and more frequently. Each time they seemed to be more vivid, all with him and a mysterious woman. This was the first time that he had heard her name.

He finally decided that the best way to discover what was going on inside his head would be to use Occlumency. While most thought of it as simply being for defense of the mind, it was also very useful for organization. A master Occlumens would have perfect memory of nearly every point in their lifetime, even infancy. Sirius was by no means a master, but he knew it well enough to organize his mind. Most pureblood families would teach their children how to block their mind so the children could not have precious family secrets stolen from their thoughts.

When Sirius saw the representation of his mind he grimaced. Just as he had expected, it was truly horrible. Every person pictured their mindscape differently. The mindscape was where the memories were hidden, and the better they were hidden the harder it would be to find them. Sirius's mindscape was of a lavish living room inside some sort of villa. The large floor-to-ceiling windows looked out on a beautiful beach. Yet another example of something not being quite right; he had never been in a house like this.

While the room was beautiful, it was also utterly thrashed. There was dust everywhere, the windows were cracked, the fireplace full of old ashes, the furniture broken and overturned, and the pictures hanging on the wall smashed. It was just a figurative representation of what was wrong. The dust signified how many memories were buried under time and carelessness, the broken windows and furniture showed previous turmoil (obviously Azkaban), and the pictures broken were lost memories.

Sirius had spent hours 'cleaning' the room. He had mentally conjured up a duster and then proceeded to dust everything in sight. It was exhausting, and he wished that the room was smaller. Once he had finished dusting it was like the room had lightened. He had followed that with correcting the furniture. Whenever he would connect the broken pieces they would fuse back into one so he could replace it. The windows healed with every act he did, glass flying back into place and rejoining the rest. It had taken hours of real time, and no doubt Molly Weasley would be ready to nag him for missing chores (never mind that it was his house, and he could boot her out whenever he wanted), but he did it. Everything was fixed, except for the pictures.

When he tried to touch them, he met an invisible barrier keeping him away. Nothing else could touch them, either. When he looked at them they only looked like cracked glass over a black background. No images could be seen. Whatever was going on, it had something to do with these memories. They were being kept from him; blocked.

He threw everything he had at them, but it was to no avail. Whoever had blocked them was an expert Legilimens. He was just lucky that he now knew that they _were_ blocked. If he knew, he could fight it.

Sirius shuddered, rubbing his temples. These memory flashes were getting more constant, and more painful. The block was straining his mind. Either he broke through the block or it would be forcibly taken down as his memories tore through. And that would not be good, because it might cost him the memories forever.

* * *

Amelia Bones looked up from her pile of paperwork as she heard the tell-tale tapping of an owl's beak on the window of Bones Manor. With a sigh she stood from her chair and walked over to the window, opening it to let in an owl.

After casting a few spells at the letter on the owl's leg she took it and waved away the owl. She tore open the envelope with her name on it in familiar looping handwriting, removing the letter inside.

_Dear Amelia_

_I know you have no reason to trust me, or indeed even read this letter any further, but please do. It concerns a matter of the utmost importance. The matter in question is Sirius Black._

Amelia moved to her desk and sat down. No doubt this would be quite a major thing, is the tone being set was of any indication. Then again, if the sender was who she thought it was, he had quite a flair for dramatics.

_Sirius Black was believed to have escaped Azkaban two years ago in an attempt to murder Harry Potter. This is untrue. Sirius Black escaped Azkaban to hunt down another: Peter Pettigrew._

_Now, I am sure that you are wondering why Sirius would hunt down a man he has already killed. The answer? Peter Pettigrew is not dead._

_Sirius Black was never the traitor to the Potters. He was a decoy. Fifteen years ago, when the Potters went into hiding, they chose Peter to be their Secret-Keeper. Sirius was supposed to be the decoy; what better decoy than your best friend? Unfortunately, they did not know that Peter was, in fact, a Death Eater._

Amelia's breath caught in her throat. The very idea was ludicrous. The thought that Sirius Black had been an innocent man, locked in Azkaban for fifteen years? Impossible. And yet Sirius had never shown any inclination to go Dark. Amelia had been in the Order of the Phoenix back during the first war, and she clearly remembered the handsome and fun-loving man that he had been.

_Their decoy plan worked a bit too well. Even I did not know that Sirius was innocent. Sirius, in a fit of rage, went hunting after Peter to avenge the deaths of his best friends. When he got there Peter yelled, in front of a dozen witnesses, that Sirius was innocent. Quite dramatic, don't you think?_

_Now, if you have gotten this far, please don't stop. You may believe that this is all hearsay, and his trial would have revealed the truth. The real truth is that Sirius Black did not receive a trial. Check the records, you won't find one. Sirius was thrown directly into Azkaban, his guilt believed by all._

Amelia felt her breath catch in her throat. If that was true then a most horrible injustice had been done.

_I know that you will do the right thing Amelia._

_Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)_

"Damn," she breathed. If this was true then there would be a scandal bigger than any before. Sirius Black was one of the most hated Death Eaters, only matched by his cousin Bellatrix. If it was true and he was innocent, it would destroy the Minister's career.

A smile wormed its way onto her lips. If Fudge was gone, Umbridge might have to go with him. Amelia knew all about the woman's tyrannical ways from her niece Susan, and nothing would make her happier than seeing that odious woman booted from Hogwarts.

She quickly began to pen a letter to the Minister, intent on not letting this go. If she layered on the correct compliments, and appealed to the man's ego, she could certainly do it.

_Minister Cornelius_

_I was looking through the trial records, and I found an unusual discrepancy, one enemies of the Ministry may attempt to use against us._

_You see, Sirius Black was never given a trial. Minister Bagnold completely ignored the protocol._

_Imagine what it would do for public morale if you did give him one? You can also cover up this unseemly hole, while blaming Bagnold._

_Of course, there is no chance that he is innocent, but others may believe that there is a chance he is. Also, if you offer him a trial, use it to accuse him for sure. Because surely an innocent man would appear for a trial, and there is no way he will appear._

_This chance must be taken ahold of with both hands, before we lose it._

_Amelia Bones_

She nearly gagged at how much brown-nosing she had done in this letter. It was almost painful to see such garbage in her writing, but it had to be done. Otherwise Fudge would not see her as trying to help him.

Amelia grimaced slightly as she eyed the letter from the Headmaster of Hogwarts. She was no fool; she knew that he had manipulated her into acting. The annoying thing was that she couldn't ignore it, and he knew that. It was the exact reason she was no longer in the Order.

She just tossed it into the fire before making her way to the Owlery. If she was lucky then Fudge would act on this information quickly. No innocent should be having the Dementors after them like Sirius Black.

* * *

_Sirius woke up from his sleep, immediately noticing the absence of another body next to him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position as he looked around. The bathroom was empty, and the sheets still held a slight warmth to them. He stood from the bed, wrapping a bathrobe around himself to cover his naked torso._

_He crept through the hall and down the oaken stairs, casting glances around for his wife. He noticed that she wasn't in the kitchen or in the living room. He was about to cast a directional spell when he heard a slight creak._

_He crept over to the door leading out onto the wrap-around porch, wand at the ready. He lowered it when he realized that the creak was just the porch swing. He stowed the wand back in his pocket as he opened the glass door, making sure to make enough noises so as to not scare her._

_"Isn't it a bit late for you?" he asked, walking towards the swing. Diane was facing out towards the sea, hair blowing in the night wind. Sirius followed her gaze and saw lightning out on the horizon. No doubt it was a summer storm over the ocean coming closer._

_"Couldn't sleep," she said softly._

_Sirius sighed and walked over to her, crossing his arms to keep the robe from blowing open in the wind. He moved to sit down in the swing, but paused when he saw her flinch. With a sigh he sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his much larger body. "Come on, what's wrong?"_

_She just shook her head as she continued to avoid looking at him._

_"Is it what we learned at Gringotts earlier?"_

_Another flinch. Well that answered his question. "Diane, please stop focusing on that. It isn't so bad-"_

_"Isn't so bad?" she spat, finally turning to look at him. Her eyes were red-rimmed, showing that she had been crying. "It isn't so bad? It's horrible! It is the most horrible thing that I have ever heard!"_

_He tried to pull her into a hug, but she pushed away from him and stood from the swing. She walked to the railing and looked out at the crashing waves. "How can you even stand to be near me?" she asked in a voice little more than a whisper._

_Sirius shook his head, even knowing that she wouldn't see. "I don't care about that; you know that about me. I mean, look at my family! They are all horrible bastards who kiss up to Voldemort."_

_"You know that I am related to him?"_

_He snorted. "Well, he didn't get the looks-"_

_"This isn't a joke!" she yelled, finally turning to face him. Her violet eyes were furious, and for a moment he was afraid that she would curse him._

_He sighed, shaking his head. "I know. I know. Diane, family doesn't make you who you are. You are your own person."_

**_:Then why can I do this?!:_**_ she hissed._

_He was unable to control the small wince he gave at the snake language. Diane shook her head, turning to look back out at the oncoming storm. "See. Even you hate it."_

_"No," said Sirius, quick to reassure her. "I don't hate it; I'm just not used to it."_

_"I thought you hated anything Dark," she whispered._

_He almost missed the quiet words. "Parseltongue isn't Dark. Dark people have used it, but it isn't Dark. It was just the evil people giving it a bad name. An ability can't be evil." He reached out to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. When she didn't respond he turned her around and pulled her into a hug. It seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back; she broke down crying._

_"It's alright," he soothed, rubbing her back. "I don't care if your father was Voldemort's uncle. I only care about you."_

_"Promise?" asked the muffled voice._

_He pulled her away and gently wiped her tears away. "I promise."_

Sirius let out a cry of pain and clutched his head, staggering into the edge of his bed and falling onto it. It was like his head was being torn apart by rabid Nifflers on a brain hunt.

He let out another scream as he felt the memory blocks weaken and crack. It _hurt_, worse than the Dementors or even the _Cruciatus_. He saw black spots dancing before his eyes as his back arched in pain, the force of the broken Obliviate clawing at his consciousness. Just before he lost consciousness his mind supplied a name.

"Diane…" he breathed. Then he blacked out.

* * *

**A/N: Go cliffie! Again, please look at those images on my profile.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I spoil you all, I really do.**

* * *

_Sirius was trying his best not to fall asleep in his punch. Honestly, when Uncle Alphard had invited him to a French lord's party he thought that it would be more…stimulating. But now it was just boring. All the old geezers meeting up to talk about the 'good old days.' Blegh._

_Suddenly he felt a spike on his 'hot chick meter'. He looked over to the beverage table, and a grin split his face._

_She was gorgeous. She had wavy dark brown hair that caught the light and sent it rippling down her shoulders. She was wearing a dress of a dazzling purple which perfectly matched her eyes and accentuated her curves. Her plump lips were ruby red._

_He ran a hand through his shoulder-length black hair as he made his way over to her. Time to employ the famous Sirius Black charm._

_"Hello my dear," he drawled, sidling up to her. "What might a fine beauty such as yourself be doing on a night like this?"_

_The smile that had decorated her face faded. "A night like what?" she asked, her voice layered with false sweetness._

_Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. "Um…a nice summer night?"_

_"It's winter," she commented with a deadpan stare._

_He shifted uncomfortably. "Yea…your point?"_

_She rolled her eyes. "If you are going to try a pick-up line, at least know what you are doing. Amateur."_

_He clasped a hand to his chest dramatically. "Amateur, me? I'll have you know that I am certainly **not** an amateur."_

_She grinned like the cat that got the canary. "And that is the perfect thing not to say to a girl." With that she flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder, swallowed her drink, and walked off with a backwards wave._

_Sirius just stared after her in shock. "I can't believe it," he breathed. A woman had finally got one over on him! No doubt she believed herself immune to him. He grinned widely._

_"Challenge accepted."_

* * *

_"Please go out with me?"_

_"No."_

_"Please?"_

_"Shut it Black."_

_"Pleasepleasepleasepleaseple-"_

_"Alright!" cried Diane Valcroux, throwing up her hands in annoyance. "I'll go on **one** date with you. One! And then I want you to disappear. No more, got it?"_

_Sirius grinned and nodded. He was absolutely positive that he could get her to go on more. He just had to do the right thing…_

* * *

_"We're here, my lady." Sirius shot his date a roguish grin as he opened the door for her. If nothing else, it would be a surprise. She would not be expecting anything like it._

_Diane stepped into the room expecting some sort of fancy dinner, or perhaps a concert. Some feeble attempt to impress her no doubt. She was certainly not expecting to be entering a large darkened room with an enormous smooth panel making up an entire wall, and chairs rising up the across from it._

_"Where are we?" she asked in bewilderment._

_Suddenly the panel lit up with colors and pictures, making her jump. "What the hell?" she hissed._

_Sirius just laughed and dragged her over to one of the seats. "This is a muggle movie theater," he said with a grin. "Wizarding shows are boring. My best mate's girlfriend Lily showed us these. It's amazing."_

_She stared at the screen in shock, watching the various pictures fly by. It was incredible. "What type of show is this?" No doubt some sort of romantic feature. As incredible as this looked, he would no doubt try to woo her with some sappy romance._

_"It's called the Wizard of Oz," he supplied cheerfully. "Apparently it is an older muggle movie that they are re-showing. I thought it might be interesting to see how muggles see us."_

_Diane sat back in the seat, strengthening her resolve. Pretty pictures would not entrance her like other girls. She was tough, she was independent._

* * *

_"Oh Merlin!" cried Diane as they stumbled out of the theater. Both she and Sirius were laughing their heads off, attracting the curious gazes of a few other patrons. "Did you see them? Green skin and bubbles? Honestly!"_

_Sirius snorted as he tugged her towards the shaded alleyway next to the building so they could apparate. "I can't believe the things that muggles come up with. Honestly! Ruby slippers?"_

_With a tug and a spin they appeared on the front doorstep of her house. She stumbled a bit and Sirius caught her in his arms. "So…" he said after an awkward pause. "What did you think of the date? Not too horrible?"_

_She eyed him speculatively for a moment. "Better than I expected."_

_He grinned. "So does that mean I get another?"_

_She groaned in exasperation, pushing herself away from as she headed for the door. She opened the door, but paused to throw a look back at him. "Sure, another. Make sure it is fun." She smiled and closed the door._

_Sirius stood in the middle of the road in shock for a moment before whooping joyfully and punching the air. "And **that** is how it is done, Jamie-boy!"_

* * *

_"Where are we?" asked Diane, looking around in wonder. Sirius had apparated her here without giving her a location, and it was very strange. They were standing on a deck wreathed with muggle lights, the only source of light apart from the stars, and on all sides there was water stretching out into the distance. They seemed to be a good ways above the water._

_"A cruise ship," answered Sirius. He gestured around. "This is the top floor. A cruise ship is like a boat that muggles travel on for a vacation. They are pretty incredible."_

_Diane looked around again and noticed a few things that she hadn't seen before. There seemed to be a silhouette across from them, and when she looked over the edge she saw a pool with a few people in it. "What are we doing here?"_

_Her question was answered when music began to play. She turned and saw Sirius behind her, holding his hand out. "Care to dance, my lady?" he asked with a carefree grin._

_Diane laughed as she took his hand. "You, Mr. Black, have outdone yourself this time."_

_He grinned as he twirled her around to the music. "Oh, I know. I planned this for a long time."_

_"Really?" she asked as he spun her in the air. "Why?"_

_"This."_

_She gasped when he caught her and placed her on her feet before kneeling. "Sirius?" she breathed._

_"Diane," he began, obviously nervous. "When I met you at that party, I was an arrogant ass. I thought that I could win you over with pretty words, just like other girls. I planned on dancing the night away and then disappearing. But you were different than the others. You had a spirit like a wildfire. You helped curve my reckless streak. Mostly."_

_She was too shocked to laugh. Was he…? No. Impossible. There was no way that he could be…_

_"No other person has ever been able to match me like you. No other person has been able to make me feel like you do." He dug in his pocket, withdrawing a small box. "Will you make me the luckiest man on Earth and marry me?"_

_She stared at the glittering diamond ring in shock, her mind completely blank. Marry him? The kind, crazy, air-head, annoying, fun-loving, caring, devoted Sirius Black? "I…I…yes…"_

_He wilted slightly. "Oh. Ok, I understand. I mean, you probably don't feel the way I do-"_

_"You moron!" she cried, pulling him to his feet. "I said yes!" And she kissed him, long and hard._

* * *

_"Sirius!"_

_Sirius stumbled into the villa wearing nothing but swimming shorts, his hair rumpled and sopping wet. His legs had wet sand stuck to them and he was breathing heavily._

_"Sirius!"_

_He swore as he rushed to the stairs and dashed up them, sandy footprints in his wake. He shot through the hall and into the bedroom, grey eyes scanning wildly for his wife. "Diane? Diane, where are you?"_

_"In the bathroom!"_

_He ran in and nearly collided with Diane, who was wearing only a thin silk nightgown. "What is it?" he demanded. "What's happened? What's wrong?"_

_She ignored him, her eyes raking up and down his figure. "Sirius, did you just come in from the beach?"_

_He nodded. "Yeah. So? What happened?"_

_She brushed a wad of sand off his left pectoral as she wrinkled her nose. "Salty hair, sand in your chest hair and caking your legs…there is sand all over the rug downstairs isn't there?"_

_He scowled as he crossed his arms, accidentally wiping the sand on his arms and chest onto the bathroom floor. "Is there an emergency or did you just call me to criticize? I ran all the way up her with sand in my pants. Let me tell you something: not pleasant!"_

_Her eyes lit up with joy, sparkling like jewels. "Oh, Sirius, it's wonderful! You know how I have been sick these last few weeks in the mornings?"_

_"Yea. So?" He watched her in confusion._

_"I'm pregnant!"_

_His eyes grew wide in shock. "P-Pregnant?! Like with a baby?"_

_She shot him a deadpan stare. "No, with a dog. I know that you being an animagus would come back to bit me in the ass. Just didn't think it would be like this."_

_His thick eyebrows drew together in a scowl. "Not funny." He stared at her for a second before eyeing her stomach. "You mean that we are going to have a…a…"_

_"Baby?" she beamed at him. "Yep!"_

_He stared at her for a second before grinning. "A baby! We're going to have a baby!" His jaw dropped. "I'm going to be a dad!"_

_Diane nodded and continued to smile. "Isn't this wonderful?"_

_He pulled her into a hug. "This **is** wonderful. This is the happiest day of my life."_

* * *

When Sirius woke up the first thing that he noticed was that his throat hurt worse than the time he and James had stayed up until dawn drinking Firewhiskey and playing Strip Poker. The second thing he noticed was that his neck ached.

He uncurled from the fetal position he had clenched himself into with a moan. He ached. Why did he ache? The last thing he remembered was screaming and curling himself into a ball. Why had that happened…?

He shot bolt upright as he realized what had happened. He had been breaking through the memory block! That was what those dreams were!

His blood ran cold as he realized what those dreams meant. 'Wife! Diane was my wife! How could I forget that?' Then an even bigger tidal wave of emotions smashed into him. 'Diane was pregnant! We had a discussion…what did she say the baby was? I think it was a boy. Only one way to find out.'

Sirius stumbled to the door and flung it open, absently noting that the silencing barrier it made when it was closed must have been what kept the others from coming up to check on him after he screamed. He rushed down the hall and stumbled down the stairs in a rush to reach the first floor.

He didn't pass anyone as he shot down the second flight of stairs and landed firmly on the first floor. With barely a glance around him he hurried to the tapestry room, the one place that held all his answers.

He tripped over the rug and sprawled to the floor in front of the tapestry, his legs and arms flailing. He barely noticed the ache as he scrambled to his feet. With a frantic gaze he quickly found the scorch mark that had once been his name on the illustrious family tree. Next to it…

A choked sob burst out of his throat as his shaky finger traced the name of his beloved wife. She had been the most perfect creature he had ever seen. And now she was gone, gone forever.

His finger trembled even stronger as he followed the line that stretched down from the double band signifying their marriage.

_Rigel Sirius Black_

The tears finally began to run down his cheeks in thick streams as he pressed his forehead against the worn fabric of the tapestry. Diane, his beautiful wife, the light of his life may be gone, but their son wasn't. Their son, the boy he had never even been able to see. How old would he be now? Sirius lifted his head so that he could look at the dates.

_1980-_

Fifteen years! Just as he thought. His son would be the same age as Harry now! Sirius buried his face in his hands as he continued to cry. The memories weren't even all back, but he did know one thing: he had to find his son.

Sirius stood on shaky legs, bracing himself against the wall. He took a look at the inscribed name of his son on the tapestry. "I will find you," he promised.

He stormed out of the room in a manner that would have impressed even Snape. He knew what he had to do. Sirius made his way to the kitchen, where he could clearly hear the voices of Molly Weasley and the others. Merlin, didn't that woman ever shut up?

* * *

Remus was at his wit's end. He hadn't seen Sirius in _hours_, and he was sure that something had happened. Not that it was improbable, considering all the evil trinkets in this house. He wanted to go to check on Sirius, but Molly had demanded to know where he was going. When she found out she had vetoed him. Like he was her child or something!

He opened his mouth to say something—most likely a demand for her to explain exactly _who she thought she was to boss him around_—when the subject of their discussion came storming into the room. His face was carefully blank, but his eyes were red from crying and tear tracks stained his face.

"Sirius?" asked Remus hesitantly.

He ignored Remus, instead making his way to the fireplace. Too late did Remus realize what his old friend was doing, and when he reached out for the dog animagus Sirius had already vanished with a few whispered words and a whirl of green smoke.

"That idiot!" hissed Remus. "Doesn't he know that it is dangerous out there?"

Molly Weasley_ hmphed_ imperiously. "That man's volatile temper is going to get him in massive trouble one of these days."

Remus _barely_ kept himself from spitting an insult at her about how she was an overbearing bitch who had been driving him crazy, but his more peaceful side won out. Instead he hurried off to send a letter to Professor Dumbledore, hoping that the aging Headmaster could help him.

* * *

Sirius stumbled out of the floo and landed on his hands and feet. When his knees and hands hit the hardwood floor a massive dust cloud billowed up. Sirius climbed to his feet, waving his hand to get rid of the dust.

His head began to pound as he looked around the villa where he had spent his married years. It clearly hadn't been lived in; there was an inch-thick layer of dust covering every surface, and the windows were smeared with grime. It wasn't quite as bad as his mental hideaway, but it was still pretty bad.

He hurried over to the coffee table and picked up one of the pictures. He used his sleeve to wipe away the dust so he could see the image. It was of Diane. She was dressed in a plain white robe and lying down on what looked like a hospital bed. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked tired, but happy. There was a small blue blanket wrapped around something in her arms. She looked up at the camera and smiled before pulling the fold of the blanket away.

Sirius collapsed onto the chair, ignoring the massive dust cloud, as he saw the face of his son for the first time. 'He's the most amazing thing I've ever seen,' thought Sirius. Sirius had seen other newborns and he hadn't been very interested in the red squishy things that they looked like. But his son—Rigel—was different. He already had clear features and didn't look like a blob. His eyes were wide open, showing violet irises like his mother's.

Suddenly Sirius felt a sharp pain in his head and he gasped as he felt another memory collide with his mind.

_"Why did you need me to come here, Professor?" asked Sirius as he looked around the Potters' pristine cottage in Godric's Hollow. He was shocked to see Lily and James holding a baby; a baby which looked just like James._

_"Ah, I see you have noticed him," said Dumbledore. His eyes twinkled sadly as he stared at Sirius. "I am so sorry to do this, my boy. I truly wish there was another way. I am firmly against removing a child from its family."_

_Sirius frowned in bewilderment. "Family? Huh? And who's the baby?"_

_"James and Lily's new son," replied Dumbledore, drawing his wand. "And that is all you will remember. **Obliviate!**"_

Sirius's eyes snapped open as the memory ended. "No," he muttered. "James and Lily couldn't do that…they wouldn't…"

He scrambled for another portrait and hurriedly picked it up.

It was of him and Diane. They were out on the porch, on the porch swing he remembered from his dreams. Diane was fast asleep, stretched out over the swing with her face in Sirius's lap. The picture-Sirius was stroking her hair softly and waving for the camera. He had obviously been the one who charmed it to take the picture.

_"You know what to do if anything happens?" Sirius asked._

_Diane nodded as she rolled her eyes. "Yes dear, we've gone over it several times. If anything happens I am to send a letter to Professor Dumbledore asking for help. When he comes tell him about our relation. I remember!"_

_He gave a deep chuckle as he ran a thumb down her cheek while he cupped her chin. "I know, I know. I'm a nag. I just want you to be safe."_

_She sighed and nodded. "I'll be fine, you know me. I'm Mrs. Macho."_

_He cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you were Mrs. Black! Have you been cheating on me?"_

_She gave him a weak punch in the stomach. "Stupid face. No, you're Mr. Macho."_

_He grinned as he pulled her into a hug. "Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that…"_

Sirius clutched his forehead as the memories faded. That _hurt_. But it gave some explanation. Diane had called Dumbledore. He had taken Rigel, and hidden him with James and Lily. And he had _Obliviated_ Sirius! What about Diane? Had he killed her too?

Sirius clenched his fists so tightly around the portrait that the glass cracked. The snap of the glass made him realize what he was doing, and he put the picture back down on the table with the others.

"I can't believe it," he whispered. Harry, his Godson, the boy he loved like a son actually _was_ his son! Harry had been taken from Sirius, his _father_, and given away like a package! Even now he didn't know who he was!

Sirius shook his head, pushing himself up and off the couch. Well that would end now. He was going to Hogwarts. He was going to find his son.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Don't you just hate it when a story is abandoned and it is REALLY GOOD?**

**The story that I most hated being abandoned was called My Reflection by _quaquaquaqua  
_****Coming in close second is Harry's Requirement by _MoonyJude7  
_****Tied for second is Consequences of Misquoted Magic by _Charabbi85_**

**If you like funny ones then you NEED to read Oh You Didn't Know? Yeah, He's Awesome by _RuRuLaLa_**

**All are on my Favorites list if you want to read them!**

* * *

Dumbledore was working in his office signing several papers for the Wizengamot when the floo to his office roared to life and an obviously angry Sirius Black stepped out.

Dumbledore had been getting the records and witness reports prepared for the upcoming trial of Sirius Black. His letter to Amelia had obviously worked; the next day Fudge had announced that they were going to be giving Sirius Black a real trial. The newspaper article had a great deal of subtle insults directed at the former Minister Bagnold and Barty Crouch.

The uproar from the pureblood community was massive. While many did not like Sirius Black they knew that he was the heir to the Black Family, the most prestigious pureblood family around. If he could be thrown in prison without a trial what about them?

For his part Dumbledore was trying to get everything he could possibly need to defend Sirius. No doubt Fudge would try to get Sirius Kissed simply to appear like he was _doing_ something. Dumbledore needed to protect Sirius and get him free so that he could help Harry and be there for the boy. The two of them had suffered so much already.

"Sirius!" he exclaimed in surprise. He had received a letter from Remus only a few minutes ago, carried by an obviously exhausted owl. It had to have been to get all the way to Hogwarts in half an hour.

He was shocked when the Black Heir lunged forward and fisted the front of his robes, pinning him to the chair. A shocked gasp burst from his lips as he saw the burning fury in Sirius's eyes. It was the first time that those eyes had been missing their haunted look, and honestly Dumbledore wasn't sure if it was an improvement.

"Where is he Albus?" hissed Sirius through his teeth. Fawkes shrieked at Sirius from his perch, but it was too soon after his burning day for him to fly.

"I-I don't-"

Sirius pulled Dumbledore back slightly before shoving him back into the chair even harder. Dumbledore winced as his old joints creaked in protest. "No more lies!" screamed Sirius into the Headmaster's face. He leaned in until he and Dumbledore were nearly touching noses. "Where. Is. My. Son."

Dumbledore's eyes widened as the blood drained from his face. "Harry!" he breathed. Then he slammed his mouth shut as he realized what he had inadvertently revealed.

Sirius shot him a feral grin. "Oh, don't worry. I know that Harry is my son. I know that _you_ took him from Diane and gave him to James and Lily. I just want to know one thing: Why?"

Dumbledore shook his head quickly. "No, no! You don't understand! It isn't what you think! I didn't take him from Diane like that!"

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" he spat.

"Diane sent a letter to me asking for help because…she was dying."

Sirius's brow furrowed, the anger morphing into tense confusion. "…What? Dying?"

Dumbledore sighed and gently dislodged Sirius's fingers before sitting back. "I don't know the entire story, but somehow her location was discovered. She was attacked on her way to get a checkup at the French magical hospital by some Death Eaters. She told me that one of the curses damaged her womb and they had to prematurely remove the baby."

"What happened to her?" Sirius looked slightly scared, and Dumbledore realized how fragile Sirius was underneath the façade. His memories must have been recently returned, and for him it felt like those memories just happened.

Dumbledore sighed again and ran his fingers through his long beard.

"Cut the kindly grandfather act and give me the answers."

Dumbledore frowned slightly, removing his hand. He honestly didn't mean anything by it. "Because they had to save the baby, the curse was able to move farther. It slowly decreased her mobility until it was extremely difficult to move. She summoned me once she had reached the point where she could barely walk."

Sirius's thick eyebrows drew together in…shock? And confusion. He staggered back and fell into one of the plush armchairs, his eyes staring blankly ahead. "Death Eaters?" he whispered. "How did they find her? She was hidden!"

Dumbledore sighed sadly. "I am afraid that I do not know. Perhaps someone knew of her location before she hid, and they just waited until she headed out."

Sirius dropped his face into his hands. "It was my fault," he muttered. "I should have been more careful. It's my fault. She shouldn't have had died for our son to live." He shook his head. "You said that he was born premature? So when?" He gave a bitter laugh. "How pathetic is it that I don't even know my own son's birthday?!"

Dumbledore frowned at his former student. "Sirius, you mustn't blame your son for your wife's death."

Sirius's head snapped up to glare at the Headmaster. His eyes were tinged with red. "Of course not," he snapped. "I could never blame him for her death; I couldn't blame anyone but the bastard who sold her out." Sirius paused for a moment before he frowned. "Why did you take my son to the Potters?"

"Well at that time you were an Auror on the front lines. I didn't know how you could handle hearing about your wife. Besides, no one knew about Diane."

Sirius scowled darkly. "James was an Auror too. I could have handled the news about her, especially with help from James, Remus, and Lily."

"Lily was a Healer a few months before but she had stopped going to work because it was dangerous for a Muggleborn. It wasn't unfeasible to pretend that she had been pregnant. It wasn't supposed to last longer than a month or two. You're right, Harry is _your_ son."

"His name is not Harry!" interjected Sirius. He frowned. "His name is Rigel. Rigel Sirius Black." Suddenly a goofy grin flashed on his face. "I love hearing that." Then he frowned again. "So what happened that made it necessary for Rigel to be hidden for more than a month? You don't understand; I missed his childhood! I barely got to go visit James and Lily when he was a baby, and then I was in Azkaban! I _missed_ seeing him grow up Albus! His first step, his first word! All of it! I missed my own son's life! My mother may have been a bitch, but at least I had a place to live and I knew why she was horrible!"

If anything this just made Dumbledore look even older. His eyes were sad and dull, and his whole body seemed to droop with age. "I know Sirius, I know," he said softly. He hesitated a moment before speaking. "It was because of a prophecy."

Sirius blinked at him in shock. "A prophecy? Divination is the most imprecise of all magics! Who gave the prophecy? Cassandra Trelawney? Selene Lovegood? Who?"

"Sibyll Trelawney."

Sirius snorted in disbelief. "The batty old lady who sits in her tower all day _drunk_? I have heard the tales of her classes from Harry and his friends! She has none of the skill that her family members have!"

"There was a possible exception. The day I went to go have a job interview with her she went into the Trance, the recognizable time when predictions are made. I was skeptical; trust me, I am not usually one to believe in Divination. But I couldn't take the chance." He looked at Sirius over the rims of his half-moon glasses. "I knew that you wouldn't want be to take a chance when it was your son's life on the line."

Sirius leaned forward so his elbows were on his thighs and his head was propped up on his fists. "What did this prophecy say?"

Dumbledore paused for a moment, looking hesitant. "Alright. _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies._" Dumbledore watched Sirius cock his head to the side slightly. "It fits Harry—Rigel—being the Potters' son, however, I am unsure about how it plays into him being yours."

Sirius raised an eyebrow in the perfect imitation of an aristocratic politician. "You based it all on an assumption?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "Better safe than sorry?"

"Okay then. One question: Did the Unspeakables show up a few minutes afterwards?"

"What? Why?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "The Unspeakables have sensors that alert them to anyone's magic meddling in the time stream."

"What do you mean 'meddling in the time stream'?"

"When a Seer makes a prediction they are basically getting a flash from the future. The Unspeakables come to record the prophecy directly after so that it can go into their vault."

The aged Headmaster shook his head. "No…none came. I took Sibyll directly up to Hogwarts so that no one could come after her. But there were at least ten minutes before that happened."

Sirius straightened up in his seat. "Well then, that explains it. It wasn't real."

"What about the Trance?"

"A Trance doesn't make it qualify as a true prophecy. From what I have heard Sibyll was the equivalent of a prophecy squib. Cassandra Trelawney never had duds; she was legit."

"You mean that it wasn't real?"

"It was real, it just wasn't true." Sirius curled his lip in disgust. "And now my son has to suffer for your ignorance."

Dumbledore sighed. "I…I didn't know. However, Voldemort believes in it. That was why he came after James and Lily. Even if he learned that it wasn't real, he either would not believe the information or he would kill your son just to prove a point. I'm afraid that Tom was always a sore loser."

Sirius stood from the chair and crossed his arms. "I won't be accepting that. I will protect Rigel until the day I die. Speaking of him, I want to see him." He leaned forward a bit. "_Now._"

"What a Black wants, a Black gets," interjected Phineas Nigellus from his portrait. "Dumbledore, you had better let my great-great-grandson get what he wants."

"Stop teaming up on the poor man!" cried Armando Dippet. "He did what he thought was right!"

"Oh shut up!" cried Sirius. "All of you! This is between me and Albus." He turned and looked at said man. "Well?"

"I'm afraid that it is a bit more complicated than that, my boy."

Sirius shook his head. "No. No, you don't get to say that. You say 'sure Sirius, let's go see your son now and tell him the truth!' not that it can be more complicated!"

Dumbledore held up a hand. "Wait, you will want to hear this. The reason that you need to wait is because you might be getting free soon."

Sirius froze from where he had been glaring at his great-great-grandfather and swiveled to look at Dumbledore. "What? How?"

"I recently sent a letter to Amelia Bones concerning the fact that you have never had a trial. She is the Head of the DMLE, and she hates the sort of injustice that occurred when you didn't get a trial. She looked into it and sent a letter to Fudge convincing him to have a trial for you. No one expects you to show, and when you do it will help them think better of you for it."

"Amelia Bones? Red hair, long legs, sorta sexy Amy Bones? I remember that she was a friend of Andy's a while ago. Of course then she got all strict and stuff." Then the rest of Dumbledore's words registered. "A trial? A real trial?"

Dumbledore nodded, obviously deciding to dismiss the first bit. "Yes. I have been gathering all the evidence that points toward your innocence. If Fudge refuses to believe then Veritaserum is the final last resort. No one can beat it."

Sirius stared at the old man in complete shock. "A trial? A real trial?"

Dumbledore smiled at Sirius. "Yes, Sirius. A trial. I will defend you until my last breath. Then, when this fiasco is over, you can go to your son and be the father he so desperately needs."

* * *

"Harry, have you seen this?" asked Neville.

Harry looked up from his morning toast to stare at his friend. He had taken to sitting at the end of the table, where Neville sat, and sometimes the chubbier boy would talk to him. Neville was holding up the Daily Prophet. "What is it?"

Neville unfolded the paper to let Harry see the title: Sirius Black Gets A Trial! "Apparently Sirius Black was never given a trial before he was thrown in Azkaban and the Minister wants to have one now. They say that there is no way he will show up."

Harry stared at Neville. "Sirius is getting a trial?"

Neville nodded slowly. "Yea. Are you alright? I know he betrayed your parents-"

"No!" whispered Harry quickly, leaning forward so that Neville could hear him better. Neville leaned forward as well so that he could hear. "I met him back in third year, when he escaped. I talked to him. He…didn't betray my parents."

Neville's eyes got wide. "_What_?! He wasn't the traitor? Then who was?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

Neville frowned, obviously doubtful. "Black killed Pettigrew."

Harry shook his head quickly. "No, you see, that was the big trick. My dad and his friends—Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew—became Animagi to help their other friend, Remus Lupin, during their full moon."

Neville gasped slightly. "Professor Lupin?"

Harry nodded. "You remember Scabbers, Ron's rat?" Neville nodded. "That was Pettigrew. Sirius came here to kill him as revenge. Pettigrew was the real Secret-Keeper, Sirius was the decoy. What better as a decoy than your best friend?"

"And no one knew except them," breathed Neville. "So everyone thought that it was Black."

Harry nodded. "Yes. I met him—talked to him, even. He's my godfather you know? He was supposed to be the one to raise me. If he gets free with this trial then I don't have to stay with the Dursleys anymore."

Neville's eyebrows rose higher and higher with ever sentence. "Wow…that's great! I'm really happy for you, Harry. Do you know if he is going to go?"

"I don't-"

A sudden screech interrupted him. He looked up and saw a late mail owl spiraling down towards them. It was brown and nondescript, nothing distinguishing. It landed in front of Harry and extended its leg, which held a roll of parchment. Harry took it and the owl flew off after stealing a piece of his bacon. Harry and Neville exchanged confused looks before Harry unrolled the parchment.

_Harry_

_Do not worry about your godfather. He will be present at the trial, with myself representing him. Fudge merely intends for this to be a formality in an attempt for him to be seen doing something, however, I intend to make this real. I have managed to obtain an approval for your presence at the trial from the Minister. I believe that he intends to quash your belief of Voldemort's return. I will collect you for the trial tomorrow morning at 6:30 sharp. Please do not be late; the trial starts at 7:00 on the nose._

_Professor Dumbledore_

* * *

Sirius dug through the piles of stuff in his room as he searched. In hindsight it may have been better for him to keep a clean room, but he had never cared before. Something to keep in mind for Rigel. Obviously his mother had simply decided to ignore this room, most likely hoping to never see it again. Though that was no explanation as to why Kreacher never came in here to burn everything of Sirius's.

He winced as he pulled out a box of magazines; magazines whose content _really_ shouldn't be seen by his son. Sirius was quick to toss them into the fireplace for his room; the place he had deemed 'waste removal'. The magazines were followed by his collection of embarrassing Snape photos. He wouldn't deny that he was a bully as a child, but there was no reason for his son to see these.

He grinned to himself as he cleared dust off of more boxes. No matter how many times it happened, the word 'son' always brought a smile to Sirius's face. As a child he hadn't planned on being a father. With his neglectful father and abusive mother he doubted that he could ever be a good parent. But when Diane told him that she was pregnant he was ecstatic. He just wished that she could be here with him.

He grinned as he pulled out a very long photo frame. It held seven pictures. Each picture was of the Marauders, year by year.

In the beginning they looked…honestly pretty pathetic. James was small with his ridiculous hair and glasses, Peter was fat, Remus was weedy, and Sirius just had boyish charm and short hair. However, they changed as the years passed. James grew taller and cut his hair, making it more of a casual messy. Peter was still round and short, but it was less of a babyish look. Remus still looked tired, but as he grew closer to the others he developed more self-esteem. Sirius grew out his hair and worked out more, giving him a very handsome and muscular figure. The main difference between him and James was their body types and the fact that James's hair was more dark brown while Sirius's was black.

Sirius smiled as he watched the photo-him and photo-James pose for the camera back-to-back. What would Harry look like underneath the glamour that Professor Dumbledore placed on him? Would he have Diane's brown hair or Sirius's black? Would he have grey eyes or violet? Would he get Sirius's tall and strong build or Diane's thin and petite one? Would he resemble Sirius as much as he did James? Perhaps, if the spell replaced Sirius's features with James.

_"Heck, I don't care as long as the baby is healthy."_

He placed the pictures down. Perhaps he could put it up later. Sirius heard footsteps heading down the hall towards the room and he quickly tossed the pair of panties (where the hell were _they _from?) into the fire.

"Sirius?"

"Remus!" breathed Sirius in relief, turning from where he had been silently willing the incriminating article of clothing to burn faster. "It's only you!"

Remus looked at the garment dubiously before deciding that it would be better not to get into it. "Molly is looking for you, you know. I believe that she thinks you are drinking yourself into a stupor or something of the like."

Sirius rolled his eyes as he pushed himself to his feet. "As if. The wine cellar is in the basement, I'll have you know. I was just going through some of my old stuff to see if there is anything that Ri-Harry might like."

If Remus noticed the slip he didn't mention it. "Well come downstairs. Your cousin is here and she will probably break something soon. Maybe you can distract her."

Sirius grinned as he hurried out the door. "I should make Tonks an obstacle course out of junk in this house. She can smash everything that my mother held most dear and then Kreacher can have a heart attack! Everybody wins!"

Remus snorted as he followed his friend. He cocked his head to the side as he eyed Sirius. "You are looking pretty good Padfoot. Better than I thought you would be, with this house. You actually almost look normal!"

Sirius grinned back at him. "Moony, that is only thanks to two things: Exercise Charm and midnight snacks is one."

"What's the other?"

"Secret. For now, anyway. You'll know soon." He would then proceed to freak out, and there was _no way_ that Sirius was missing the picture opportunity.

Remus frowned at him. "Secret? Who says?"

"Dumbles."

Remus pursed his lips in disapproval of the nickname but didn't comment. "Well, if Professor Dumbledore says so, then I trust you. As long as I learn soon."

Sirius crushed his annoyance at Remus's reverent talk of Dumbledore. As Sirius had just learned, the man was far from omnipotent. It was the same thing that many others seemed to do; the Headmaster was revered everywhere. Hermione did that too, except to all authority figures.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" bellowed Molly Weasley as Sirius stepped into the room. He would later swear that his hair blew back in the gust of the bellows. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Sirius just raised an eyebrow at her, unfazed by her loud voice. "And why do I have to tell you?"

She seemed to swell with rage as her face flushed. "Professor Dumbledore told us to clean this house for the Order to use! The children aren't here to help; it's just us! Just because you are a drunk wastrel doesn't mean that you can slack off!"

As soon as she words left her mouth she knew that she had stepped over the line. _Far_ over the line. Sirius's lips curled into a sneer as his expression turned murderous. Sometimes it was hard to remember that his family was the Darkest in all of Europe, but his temper was a surefire way to see the resemblance.

"How dare you," he hissed. He stalked forward until he was just a few feet from her. "How dare you talk of things which you do not understand! How _dare_ you tell me what to do in _my_ house! This is the house of the Black family! This house does not belong to Dumbledore or the Order; it belongs to _me _and _me alone!_"

The occupants of the room felt the effects of Sirius's words around them. The Grimmauld Black house had been around for centuries, and like Hogwarts the magic was woven through it. As the house felt the anger of its patriarch it responded. The lights began to flicker and objects began to shake. Magic swirled around them like a tempest.

"If you try to tell me what to do again I hereby swear to you Molly Weasley you will be _out_ of this house on your overweight ass faster than you can say Quidditch! My mother was the biggest bitch I have ever seen, but you come pretty close." Sirius leaned in close to her. "We're done here."

Molly was quivering slightly, but she managed to draw enough strength to ask a question. "Who is supposed to clean this house? Me?"

He snapped his fingers as he leaned back. "Kreacher!"

Kreacher appeared with a _pop_. "Mistress's blood traitor son calls Kreacher. Kreacher isn't sure-AGH!" Kreacher went flying back into the wall after Sirius's boot connected with his tiny ribcage.

"I am sick of your vile tongue, elf," spat Sirius. "No more. I am tired of how things are being run her. Elf, you have disobeyed and dishonored your family."

Kreacher's eyes got very wide. "No! No, bastard son cannot do this!"

"You have shamed the House of Black," continued Sirius as if Kreacher had never spoken. "You are unworthy to bear the title of Black Elf."

Kreacher let out a screech as he clawed at his throat. As Sirius watched the old elf suddenly let out a choking noise and slumped to the floor, dead.

"What…What was that?" breathed Remus after a minute.

"When an elf dishonors their family in the most complete way the family can cast it out completely. That means that the elf cannot ever come near them or anyone related to them again. Kreacher is so old that the shock killed him." Sirius grinned. "I have been meaning to do that for a while, actually. That elf was horrible at what he did. Now I can get a better one!"

Remus raised an eyebrow at his friend. "You seem a bit…bipolar. Are you alright?"

Sirius grinned and nodded. "Never better! Now, I am going to go back to cleaning my room. Oh." He grabbed the Daily Prophet off of the table and tossed it to Remus. "Read the main article. I gotta say that you will like it." He winked at Remus before turning and strolling out the door.

* * *

**A/N: I love reviews. Especially big juicy ones. Thick, meaty, juicy, filling...what were we talking about?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated as soon as I did before; hard decision with the story on one point. You already saw one big dramatic family relation with the Gaunts, get ready for another one. Any guesses? It will be the explanation for the unnatural eye color and its significance.**

**Shout-outs:**

**Kenka: Sorry, not a lot of emotional drama. But I promise in next chapter there will be tons!**

**Ewunya: Appearance reveal next chapter!**

* * *

Harry sat down in his seat, trying not to fidget too much under the weight of all the stares he was getting. It seemed like nearly every Lord and Lady was focusing on him and him alone. He hated this room. It was a terrible reminder of the farce of a trial that he had gone through under Fudge. No doubt Sirius would be subjected to the same treatment.

He cast a few subtle glances around the arena-like space from his guest seat near the bottom. The Wizengamot Lordship chairs was layered in four tiers, with rows of seats on every level. They seemed to increase from lowest to highest rank of importance. Several seats were empty.

To the left and right of the Lordship chairs were the guest seats. Harry was in them, along with a massive amount of reporters.

"Silence! Silence please!" cried the Minister of Magic, banging his gavel down several times. The chatter of voices died down to complete silence.

Harry inched a bit away from the reporters as they all leaned forward in anticipation. This was the part that everyone was waiting for: The appearance of Sirius Black. No one knew whether or not he would appear; Harry had even heard of people taking bets to see. Honestly, the nerve!

"Well," said the Minister after about 60 seconds. "It appears that the convict is not coming-"

_WHAM!_

Everyone in the room jumped as the massive doors slammed open. Gasps were heard and the Aurors around the room drew their wands as Sirius came strolling in, dressed in casual robes, followed by Albus Dumbledore.

"Hello everyone!" he called cheerfully. He frowned when no one responded. "Nothing? Really?" He looked back at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore didn't seem to find it funny, but then again for all that anyone knew he was grinning like a madman under his fluffy white beard. "Sirius you are making them uncomfortable. Please have a seat in the chair."

Sirius wrinkled his nose as he walked over to the chair, but with a dramatic sigh he flopped down onto it. The chains wrapped themselves around his legs and tied his arms down to the armrests, yet Sirius continued to look completely relaxed.

Sirius cast a fleeting glance over at Harry. Harry was confused to see a myriad of expressions move across his face. Joy, anger, hopefulness, annoyance…too many to count. But then it was gone as he turned back to look at Fudge.

Fudge seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in. "Sirius Black!" he squeaked, his voice at least two octaves higher than it usually was. Then he cleared his throat and blushed slightly. "Sirius Black," he repeated. "You are accused of service to the terrorist He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, conspiring to murder Lily Potter, James Potter, and Harry Potter, and the murder of Lily Potter, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. You are also accused of the murder of twelve muggles. How do you plead?"

It was like every person in the room held their breath, expecting the word 'Guilty' to spill from the convict's mouth. After all, there was no way he was innocent, right?

"Not guilty."

There was an enormous gasp as the words echoed around the room.

Fudge just stared at Sirius in shock. "Not…not…of course you are guilty!" he nearly shrieked.

Amelia Bones frowned at Fudge from her chair. She didn't like the way the man insisted on things working in whatever manner he preferred. "Well then Mr. Black," she stated, drawing the gazes of everyone. "We will just have to see if that is true."

* * *

Sirius watched his son fidget in his seat as one of the Ministry prosecutors began listing the evidence from the street where Pettigrew faked his death. Sirius wasn't really paying any attention; he knew the story.

It caused him a great deal of turmoil to see his son sitting there. Joy at the face that he had come to see. Anger when he saw the way he looked. Rigel was _Sirius's_ son, and he should look like Sirius, not James; it was unfair.

"Mr. Black, you were the Potters' Secret Keeper, correct?"

Sirius turned to look at the man. He had black hair that seemed to be smothered in grease and combed into an extremely tight position. He was wearing a disdainful expression, like Sirius's mere presence insulted his delicate senses.

"Nope," said Sirius, popping the 'p'.

The man frowned slightly. "…What?"

Sirius shook his head. "I wasn't the Secret Keeper, I was the decoy. Peter Pettigrew was the real Secret Keeper."

The man's brow furrowed. "Albus Dumbledore stated that _you _were the Secret Keeper." He looked smug, like he doubted that Sirius could possibly have an excuse for that.

"Actually," interjected Dumbledore. "They did not tell me of their decoy choice. I believed that Sirius was the Secret Keeper."

"This is ridiculous!" cried Fudge as he listened. "This farce of a trial in unnecessary! Black is guilty! That is all there is to it!"

Sirius smirked at the Minister and raised an eyebrow. "Think yourself above the law, do you? Shame. I doubt that everyone else here likes that you do not value their opinions."

It had the desired effect. Many of the Lords or Ladies shot Fudge annoyed glares at the blatant usurping of power. While he may be the Minister, in the Wizengamot the people held the power. He was only here in the position as Minister, seeing as there was no Ancient and Most Noble House of Fudge. It sounded like it would be a candy shop. Fudge seemed to wilt slightly under the glares.

"Now," asked Amelia. "What reason do we have to believe you? It would be extremely for you to blame the dead man. You _did_ kill Pettigrew after all."

Sirius shook his head. "No, I actually didn't. He faked his own death."

"How?"

"He is an Animagus."

"There is no registering of him."

"There isn't a registering of James Potter or me, either."

Whispers sprung up all across the hall. "What do you mean?" Amelia asked. The Ministry prosecutor seemed to have been brushed aside.

Sirius smirked. "James, Peter, and I all became Animagi in our Fifth Year."

She raised an eyebrow at him, nearly dislodging her monocle. If Sirius didn't know that she was on their side then he never would have believed it. "Really? As teenagers? Impressive."

He grinned at her. "Yep. James was a stag, I'm a dog, and Peter was a rat. That is how he faked his death; it would be simple to vanish amongst the other sewer rats."

"How do you know that he lived?"

"I saw his picture. Right before I escaped Azkaban I saw a picture of the Weasley family on the cover of the Daily Prophet. The rat on the youngest boy's shoulder was clearly Peter."

A high-pitched giggle interrupted him. He glared at the pink-laden woman who had attempted to make his son's life miserable. "That's ridiculous!" she twittered. "It could be any old rat. That is not proof. Peter Pettigrew was a hero."

Sirius clenched his teeth. "I have seen that rat many times; I know it. Also, it was missing a toe. Add on the fact that the rat was owned for twelve years, which is much longer than a rat's lifespan…you have it." He smirked when he saw the Junior Undersecretary's face.

Percy Weasley was extremely pale. He had owned the rat; no doubt he saw the correlation. It must be incredibly disturbing to realize that a Death Eater lived in your room and slept in your bed.

"What do you have to prove this?" asked Amelia, sending a withering gaze at Umbridge.

Sirius tilted his head up confidently. "I am willing to take Veritaserum." That was the most sure-fire way to tell if someone was innocent or guilty. When asked a question under Veritaserum the truth would _always_ have to be told, whether you wanted it to be or not.

Amelia gave him a very small smile, so small that he almost missed it. "Very well."

A Ministry Aide hurried over with Veritaserum. Sirius opened his mouth willingly and let the woman drop three crystal clear droplets onto his tongue. He felt his mind go slightly fuzzy as the potion took hold.

"What is your name?" asked Amelia.

"Sirius Orion Black."

"Very good." The woman shot a glance at Fudge's unhappy face. "Are you a Death Eater?"

"No." As expected an uproar rose up of people denying the truth of his statement. Amelia fired several Concussion Hexes from her wand to silence them.

"Were you ever a Death Eater or did you ever serve the Dark Lord?"

"No."

"Were you the Secret Keeper of Lily and James Potter?"

"No."

"Who was?"

"Peter Pettigrew." Fudge and Umbridge looked mad enough to spit nails but even they couldn't deny the truth of Veritaserum.

"Were you the decoy?"

"Yes."

"Is Peter Pettigrew alive?"

"Yes."

She smiled smugly at the expressions of complete shock. "Administer the antidote." As the Ministry Aide hurried to do so Amelia looked around. "All in favor of conviction?"

As much as some of Voldemort's supporters or the Ministry toadies may have wanted to, no one could willingly raise their hands.

She looked down at Sirius. "All those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?" Every hand rose up, even the extremely unwilling ones like Umbridge or Fudge.

Fudge's head seemed to have shrunk into his neck like a turtle. He grimaced and raised his gavel. "Cleared of all charges."

_Slam!_

* * *

Sirius grinned as he stepped out of the floo and into the Headmaster's office an hour later. Not only had he been cleared, they were also required by law to pay him an _obscene_ amount of galleons for his faulty imprisonment. That was mainly due to his status, family-wise. He had been one of the richest wizards in Britain before, due to his ancestors' accumulated gold, but now he had jumped far past the number one richest.

"Sirius!"

His eyes lit up as he saw Rigel—Harry currently—jump up from one of the plush chairs and run over. He grinned as he swept the boy into a tight hug. He felt tears appear in his eyes as he held Harry. This was the first time that he had _really_ held his son. All those times before he had been hugging Harry Potter, his godson. But now he knew the truth.

Harry pulled away and Sirius forced himself to let the boy go. There would be plenty of time for emotional meetings once he explained the entire story.

"I can't believe it!" cried Harry, his emerald eyes sparkling in joy. "You're finally free!"

Sirius smiled back. What color were his son's eyes underneath the glamour? Were they the unnatural amethyst of his mother or the stormy grey of his father? "Yea, I know! It's incredible! I've waited for so long. I don't think that it has really set in yet."

A clearing of someone's throat interrupted them. They turned to look at Dumbledore, who was smiling at them from behind his desk.

"I am terribly sorry to be interrupting your little reunion," he said, "But I have an offer for you, Sirius."

"What?" he asked, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to stay here for now. I assume that you and Harry have much to talk about, and you can stay here with permission from the Headmaster. We have guest rooms, even if they are not often used." There seemed to be another message he was trying to send Sirius, and it took him a moment to realize.

Umbridge. She would no doubt be on the warpath. With Sirius at Hogwarts he could also help protect Rigel—Harry—from her wrath.

"Sure!" he answered cheerfully. His heart swelled at the ecstatic look his son shot him. "Where's the room? I can get myself all set up and then maybe go explore Hogwarts _without_ being in Padfoot form." It was unfortunate that he had to register himself, but oh well. It was worth it.

Dumbledore smiled again and snapped his fingers. "Dobby!"

A small House-Elf appeared. Sirius remembered that this elf had been behind the fiasco of Harry's second year. "Mister Dumbly calls for Dobby?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Yes. Can you please show Mr. Potter and Mr. Black to the guest rooms?"

Dobby shifted from foot to foot excitedly. "Of course! Dobby can do that for Mister Headmaster." He turned to look at them. "Follow Dobby please."

Harry ducked out from under Sirius's arm as he began to follow the elf. Sirius sighed before following.

As they walked he could barely tear his gaze from his son. Ri-_Harry_ didn't appear to notice his gaze, instead making conversation with the House-Elf. Sirius was a bit put off House-Elves after Kreacher had attempted to make his childhood a living hell, but this one seemed relatively sane.

They stopped in front of a large portrait. It contained a large oak tree, where underneath sat a young girl. She was dressed in a light blue dress and her hair was golden blonde. She had large glittering butterfly wings behind her which perfectly matched her dress. The girl was holding a rose and staring at it in fascination.

"This is the guest room," said Dobby as he gestured to the portrait. "Misters Black just has to choose a passyword." He smiled up at Harry. "Bye bye Harry Potter!" With that he popped away.

"What…is she?" asked Harry in confusion as he stared at the winged girl.

Sirius grinned. Diane once showed him a picture of this type of creature. "A faerie, I believe."

The girl looked over at them. "Hello," she said cheerfully. "Are you the new guest?"

Sirius nodded. "I am."

She laughed, showing off perfect white teeth. "Wonderful! What would you like the password to be?"

Sirius paused for a moment in thought. "Diane," he said after a moment.

Harry gave him a strange look but did not comment as the picture swung aside like a door. Harry stepped in and Sirius followed, closing the door behind him.

It was an impressive setup. The room was slightly smaller than the Gryffindor Common Room and was decorated with neutral colors like dark blue and grey. There were two armchairs and a couch in front of a large fireplace and a thick rug covered the floor. There was a hallway stretching out off to the side of the room.

Harry walked over to the hallway and looked down it. "That's weird," he said, turning back to Sirius with a frown. "Why are there two bedrooms?"

"Maybe one is for you?" Sirius asked hopefully. He would hate to have his son be as far away as the Gryffindor dorms.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, probably. Professor Dumbledore thinks of everything."

Sirius fell into one of the armchairs with a sigh. "Not everything, but he does plan for a lot."

Harry walked over and sat down on one of the couches. "Are you tired?" he asked. "I mean, the trial must have been tiring. I can leave if you want to rest-"

"No!" cried Sirius quickly, leaning forward.

Harry jumped slightly. "Huh?"

Sirius shook his head. "Don't go, Ri-_Harry_. I…I need to talk to you about something."

Harry cocked his head to the side slightly. "Why do I get a bad feeling about this?" He grinned, but it fell when Sirius did not return it. "Sirius? What's wrong?"

Sirius sighed and dropped his face into his hands. This would be a very hard talk. "Harry there is something that you need to know."

Harry's brow creased in puzzlement. "What do you mean? Sirius, you're not making sense."

"It is something about James and Lily. Harry…they weren't what you think."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked again, feeling very nervous. Had his parents done something? "Did they do something? Were they criminals?"

Sirius's stomach twisted as he heard the fear in Harry's voice as he thought of James and Lily having done something. No doubt it was hard for a boyIt burst out of Sirius uncontrollably. "James and Lily weren't your parents."

Harry froze. His eyes grew wide behind the round spectacles. "You're tired, Sirius," he said as he stood up. "I think that you need to rest-"

"It's true!" protested Sirius. Harry paused in his movements. "James and Lily were taking care of you for someone else." He say Harry's incredulous look. "Lily was a muggleborn, as well as a Healer in St. Mungo's."

"My mum was a Healer?" interjected Harry.

Sirius grimaced. "_Lily_ was a Healer, but she had gone into hiding when the Death Eaters grew in numbers. James didn't want her hurt if they ever tried to take St. Mungo's so he had her hide. The only ones who visited were Peter, Remus, and me."

"What has this got to do with me?"

"Because of the hiding it was easy to pretend that Lily was pregnant. Dumbledore just had to alter the memories of the rest of us."

"_Pretend_ she was pregnant?"

"Yes. James and Lily were safeguarding you."

Harry put his hands on his hips. "Sirius, you're not making sense. If I wasn't theirs then why do I look like them? Why does everyone know me as their son?"

"James and Lily took you in just after you were born. They disguised you to look like them and pretended that you were their son. They were only supposed to keep you until it was safe."

He could see that he was starting to make progress. Harry was beginning to grow paler and his looked a little unsteady on his feet. Sirius pulled him down onto the armrest of his chair. He wrapped an arm around his son's waist to keep him steady.

"Professor Dumbledore took you to them," he continued, eyes fixed on his son's face. "Your mother…she was dying. She wanted you to be safe, so she asked Dumbledore to take you somewhere so you could be protected until your father could take care of you." Merlin he loved that word. Father.

Harry seemed to be quivering slightly. "W-Who? Sirius, who?"

"James and Lily couldn't even tell your father," Sirius continued, his tone softer. "He had been Obliviated when his wife went into hiding so that no one could find her by reading his thoughts. They were planning on breaking the Memory Block once it was safer or once you were older."

He could see that Harry was starting to put the pieces together. The shaking was gone, but that almost seemed to be a bad thing because now it was like Harry was holding it in. "W-W-Who…" he stuttered again.

"Your name isn't even Harry," said Sirius in a near whisper. "That was fake as well. Your real name, your true name…" He reached up and cupped Harry's chin. "Is Rigel."

Harry's eyes widened as it clicked. Star name, anxious Sirius, James keeping the child of someone he knew…

"Rigel Sirius Black," whispered Sirius. "My son."

Harry staggered off the armrest and stumbled backwards away from the chair. "No…" he breathed.

"I broke through the blocks a few days ago," continued Sirius, standing from the chair and facing Harry. He wanted to hurry forward, to hug him tightly, but he also didn't want to frighten the boy. "Dumbledore didn't want you to know until I was free."

Harry was backed up against the wall and he looked like he was going to be sick. "You're…you're…"

Sirius nodded and gave him a slightly watery smile. "Yes, Harry. I'm your dad."

Harry stared at him for a moment before he did the last thing that Sirius could have wanted. He bolted out the portrait door.

Sirius wanted to chase him, he wanted it _so badly_, but he held himself back. Harry wasn't ready. Besides, no one in the castle knew of his innocence. They might try to capture him. The Prophet was due to release with a late edition, but until then…

He sank into the chair as tears began to slide down his cheeks. This never should have happened. It should never have had to be like this. He should have been living peacefully with his son and his wife in their villa by the sea. He should have been able to see his son grow up, be able to teach him magic. He should have had his wife with him, be able to argue with her about whether Rigel should go to Hogwarts or Beauxbatons, or if he would be in Gryffindor or Slytherin. Not sitting in front of a fire as his son tried to get as far away from him as possible.

He dropped his face into his hands. It seemed like his life was forever doomed to be full of trials. He lost his family, he lost his wife, he lost his friends. He had his son, but at the same time he didn't have him. He was still Harry Potter, son of James Potter, not Rigel Black, son of Sirius Black.

* * *

**A/N: It was shorter than I wanted it to be, but don't worry. The next chapter will be over 5,000 words to make up for it. Also next you get to see what Rigel looks like.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This one got away from me and is just under 6,000 words. You better be thankful! ****Big familial relation reveal here.**

_****CHALLENGE****_

**Like my story? Try one of your own. There are few, if no, stories with lesser-known characters as Harry's father or parents. Try one with Regulus Black and Lily, though maybe make her pureblood. I have never seen one with Barty Crouch Jr.; that would be fun. Maybe a time-travelling one with Salazar Slytherin. Perhaps one of the Prewett brothers. Even the lesser known, like Evan Rosier(?).  
**

**Or you could change his mother. Lily seems like a nice girl; she would take in James's illegitimate son. Or maybe she can't have any! Try one of the lesser-known females? Andromeda Tonks perhaps? Or maybe a time-travelling Helena Ravenclaw! You really never know. Heck, create a character!**

**If you do can you tell me? I ADORE those types of stories (in case you didn't notice). Differences are fun!**

* * *

Harry ran out of Sirius's rooms as fast as he could. He tore through the hallways, shooting past the students who were milling around. It felt like so much had already happened that it was hard for him to believe that it was barely past lunchtime.

He ran out the doors and onto the massive grounds of Hogwarts. There were students milling around near the lake, so he ran in the opposite direction. He followed the wall around the side of the school to a small secluded spot he had discovered the year before, when everyone hated him. No one ever came this way.

Once he was far away from all doors and windows he slumped back against the wall and slid down until he was sitting down against it. He finally let his emotions out in a loud sob, which only allowed him to break out into more until he was openly crying, something he hadn't done since he was little. The Dursleys didn't care if he cried. As a little boy he would hide in his cupboard and cry himself to sleep.

After his tears ran dried he began to think, his hands absently tearing up fistfuls of grass as his mind worked. He looked out across the vast forest and watched the tallest trees ripple in the wind.

Sirius was his father. It was incredible, ridiculous, fantastic, unbelievable…and yet somehow true. He could feel it in his bones. All that Sirius had said was true. Who Harry was and where he came from. His name wasn't even Harry, it was Rigel. Rigel Sirius Black. He had his suspicions once he heard the telltale star name, but to have Sirius actually _say_ it…

Had Sirius known? No, the man had said that it had been erased from his memory. Why? He said that his wife had Obliviated him. Why would she have done that? Was he a mistake?

He shook his head as he let the grass in his fist blow away in the wind. It didn't matter. Dumbledore had hidden it from him and Sirius…Sirius was his godfather. Not his dad. Harry hadn't had a dad in a very long time, and he had long since cut himself off from that needy feeling. As a young boy he had wanted nothing more than a dad. A son would crave a father, as Harry did, for his entire childhood, whether or not they admitted it. And so Harry had, until it grew to become too much and he had let it go. He was too old now. Perhaps if he was thirteen or twelve, but not now.

He shuddered slightly as he remembered the desperate look in Sirius's eyes. What would it be like if he accepted it? If he accepted Sirius as his dad? Sirius cared for him, but was it just because Harry was a reminder of his wife? Or at least he was underneath.

Harry stared at his hand with its short fingers and tanned skin. This wasn't even his real hand. A glamour, huh? What did he look like underneath it? Did he look like Sirius? Was his remarkable resemblance to James covering a resemblance to Sirius that was just as remarkable? Or did he look like his unknown mother? Who was she? So many questions, and the one with all the answers was, of course, Sirius. The person Harry was reluctant to see.

Harry pulled his legs tighter to his chest as he rubbed away the tear tracks. He wouldn't fall into the trap. He wouldn't open himself up to be hurt again and he wouldn't open Sirius up to the dangers of Voldemort's attention. If the man learned that Sirius was his father then he would hunt him down just to spite Harry. Voldemort wanted to crush Harry physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

Harry could just pretend that their conversation in the guest rooms had never happened. He could avoid Sirius and go about his life. Eventually he would have to get tired of following Harry, right? One day he would stop and give up. When that happened it would be for the best for both of them.

He took a deep breath before pushing himself to his feet. Sirius would know, and he would know, but no one else. This would remain between them. Harry wouldn't have to address the terrifying issue and Sirius wouldn't have to get himself hurt by growing attached.

* * *

Sirius glanced at the vials that lay in the small chest that Dumbledore had left in his rooms. According to Dumbledore when Diane had given their son to the Headmaster she had also given him a large box of baby gear. Inside of it was a small chest addressed to Sirius. Within it were over a dozen vials of memories.

Sirius removed one of the glass bulbs and swirled the silvery contents. What memories were these? They must have been pretty important for her to leave them for him like this. They were most likely things that he did not know about her; she had many secrets. He never blamed her; he had many of his own.

He sighed and leaned over the pensieve he had taken from his old house and let the glistening liquid run in like syrup. He was just lucky that Remus was not currently there; the tongue lashing he would receive would be legendary.

With a deep breath he bowed down and placed his face gently in the bowl.

He landed in what looked like a Gringotts vault. It took him a moment, but he realized that it was the same one that he and Diane had visited. She had been informed by Gringotts that they had unfinished business with her. Why was he getting another memory of this? Then he saw his late wife walk in, alone.

_"Thank you Fangstriker," she said to the small goblin that had opened the vault door. He nodded to her as he stepped out the door._

_She waited until he was out of sight before turning. The vault was almost completely empty, having lost all of its treasures when the previous owners wasted their considerable fortune on frivolous things. The Gaunts had once been rich, but nothing of that fortune was left. However, she hadn't come to this vault for money._

_Diane stepped towards the back wall. There was an enormous emerald green tapestry taking up the entire surface, much like the tapestry in Grimmauld Place. However, this one was for the Slytherin line. It began at the name of the famous founder, Salazar Slytherin, and ended at the name Diane Gaunt. Even if she had gone by her mother's name she was still a Gaunt and therefore a Slytherin by blood. Diane ran a finger down the thicker thread that connected her name to the double bands signifying the marriage between her mother and Morfin Gaunt. They had only been married and produced a child because of an age-old marriage contract that couldn't be dissolved. The darker, thicker band signifying inheritance connected her name to Morfin's._

_There was another name on the same level as hers: Tom Riddle Jr. The name of her infamous cousin. His name was connected to a single line which connected Tom Riddle Sr. and Merope Gaunt. The single line showed that there was no marriage. As much as Voldemort preached that he was the Heir of Slytherin he lied; he was merely a descendant._

_She sighed as she turned and walked past the tapestry towards a seemingly blank wall. She reached a hand forward and grabbed one of the stalagmites growing out of the floor. With a twist of the wrist the stalagmite rotated like something a quarter of its size. A large opening appeared in the wall. Diane hesitated for only a moment before she stepped through._

Sirius's eyes widened as he took in the room. It had a rug on the floor, falling apart with age, a worn leather armchair, and there were about a dozen pictures lining the wall. Every person in the pictures had very dark green eyes, black hair, and wore green. It was rather obvious that these were the remaining portraits of the Slytherin family.

_"Hello Father," greeted Diane as she walked up to the lowest portrait. It was of a man looking to be in his late twenties. He was not ugly per say, but he wasn't attractive. It was like looking at someone who had decent facial features but they did not care much for their appearance._

_The man blinked as he straightened up out of his sleep. "Diane!" he said in surprise as he saw her. He eyed her in puzzlement. "You look different."_

_She smiled at him. "I know. I'm pregnant."_

_One of the other portraits sniffed haughtily. The woman in it reminded Sirius of his mother; old and haughty. She was not attractive, with ratty hair and more wrinkles than Dumbledore. "He had better be pureblood. The Slytherin line should never marry into muggles like that disgrace that was Merope."_

_Diane sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, he is. He is actually a Black."_

_Morfin's eyebrows shot up. "You are already pregnant? The wedding was quite recently, was it not?"_

_Diane smiled slightly as she rubbed her stomach. "The wedding was ten weeks ago. I am at nine weeks. Sirius is completely confident that it will be a boy."_

_Morfin raised an single pointed eyebrow at her. "Of course. Salazar Slytherin cast several spells on our bloodline, one of which was to make sure that no heirs could kill each other for the name. Another was to make sure that every first child of his line would be a male."_

_Diane's jaw dropped in shock as she heard the first part. "**What?!**_ _Then why is your last name Gaunt? If only sons were born then shouldn't the name have stayed Slytherin?"_

_"That would be because of me," spoke up another woman from higher up. "My older brother was killed at age four and my mother couldn't have any more children due to complications. I married a man named Corvinus Gaunt."_

_"Better him than a muggle," muttered Morfin. "My fool sister ran off with that bastard muggle and look what it got her? An insane half-blood son who decided to kill off the pureblood families of Europe. No matter how much of a Blood Traitor, pure is pure. And he even killed me!"_

_Diane sighed slightly; this was obviously a common conversation point. "Anyway, I came because I thought that you would like to know. I mean one day I hope to take your portrait away from this place and put it in my house. It must get boring here."_

_Morfin's eyes lit up slightly with glee. "That would be terrific! I am ever so tired of hearing my mother talk." He shot a glance at the aforementioned Mabel Gaunt._

_Diane smiled slightly and nodded. "I'll do that. I just have to wait until we get ourselves settled and safe from this war with my cousin." She shuddered slightly._

Sirius felt himself be pushed out of the memory. That was Diane's father? Shocking, really, because he wasn't anywhere near as attractive as his daughter. Of course they had similar features but Diane's were more refined. Sirius had seen the proof of inbreeding on the Slytherin/Gaunt family tree (and he thought that _his_ family was messed up) so he figured that it was because of Diane's mother. The fresh blood might have helped her genetics.

There were probably only a handful of portraits in that room because most of the Gaunts couldn't afford to have a portrait made of them. Their wealth had been squandered away several generations before Diane. Around the same time that cousins began to marry cousins.

"Why would she hide that from me?" he muttered aloud. He picked up another vial and let the contents ooze into the pensieve. "Maybe it was the bit about sons. I had better tell Rigel at some point. Or maybe she wants me to get that picture of her father out of the vault. Morfin I believe it was?"

Sirius leaned over and placed his face in the bowl again.

_"I can't believe this," breathed Diane as she leaned over the table. She was about twenty-one or twenty-two, with her hair only long enough to brush her shoulders._

_The paper was obviously a Will. It looked old, with curling edges and a faint yellow shade to it. The name on it was Abigail Valcroux. Diane's mother._

_"How could she have never told me?" breathed Diane as she gripped the paper tightly, to the point where it was nearly tearing._

Sirius leaned over to look at the Will. Diane had told him about her mother. She was apparently a very kind and beautiful woman, with golden blonde hair and a fun-loving disposition. He also recognized the Will; he had seen it, years later, when Diane went to Gringotts because of a letter she had been sent about a vault in her name. Slytherin's vault.

_"Her father was **him?!** How on Earth could I be related to that monster?"_

Sirius frowned. This was back when Voldemort's reign of terror was only just beginning; she couldn't mean him. Then who could she be talking about?

_Diane shook her head, hair moving in an invisible wind. "A Dark Lord. I'm related to a bloody Dark Lord!" She let out a choked laugh. "Grindelwald! My grandfather is Gellert Grindelwald! Isn't that just rich?"_

Sirius's face paled as it clicked in his head. Grindelwald was the Dark Lord before Voldemort. He was viewed as the second most powerful Dark Lord ever, only topped by Voldemort himself. Diane was related to him as well as Slytherin?

_"I am sorry to have never told you," Diane read aloud from the Will. "During his rise to power, when he thought he was invincible, Gellert Grindelwald wanted to have an heir to continue his line. He married a French witch named Merideth to help connect himself to France and sired an heir with her. When I was born Grindelwald had me take my mother's name to protect myself. When I married your father I kept my name for the same reason; Grindelwald and Gaunt are two extremely Dark names, yet I end up with ties to both. I married your father because I had to, thanks to a contract forged with one of my ancestors. Our families were to marry when two heirs were of the same relative age and of opposing genders. Both your father and I fit the categories for the first time in over a century. The terms of the marriage included conception of an heir; you. We had a cordial relationship. Not love, but a sort of companionship. After you were born we each went our separate ways."_

Sirius felt himself being sucked out of the pensieve again as the memory ended. With a shaky breath he fell into the nearest chair. Grindelwald, his beautiful and kind wife was the granddaughter to _Grindelwald_. Though he could see it. Both the blonde hair of her mother and Diane's own brilliant eyes. And Rigel?

Sirius shuddered as he realized what Rigel had been cursed with. A heritage of lunatics, criminals, and psychos. The Black family through his father's side, a family of Dark lunatics, and through his mother's side Slytherin and Grindelwald, the families from which came the last two Dark Lords.

With shaking hands he poured the third vial into the pensieve. He didn't even have the strength to stand, so he just slid the bowl towards him. With a deep breath he dipped in. Hopefully this one would be a better.

His nervous expression morphed into surprise and delight as he saw the living room of the Valcroux villa. He made his way over to his wife, who was sitting on the couch. In front of her was a small elevated bed with a padded railing. He grinned when he saw the tiny infant form of his son laying there as Diane tried to grab his flailing limbs.

_Diane grinned as she reached down and grabbed the squirming child's feet. The baby gurgled slightly as he tried to kick her fingers away._

_"Oh, you're so precious!" Diane cooed as she stroked her son's cheek. Then she sighed slightly. "But why did you have to look so much like your daddy? I'm the one who had to suffer for nine months. Cravings, morning sickness, diarrhea, and you end up looking just like your dad. Yet somehow you are cute."_

_The baby waved a little fist up at her._

_She smiled again, grabbing the waving appendage. "Oh fine. The cuteness is from me, obviously. Stay cute please Rigel?"_

_Baby Rigel squealed slightly._

_Diane gave a long-suffering sigh. "Alright then, you can be handsome like your daddy when you are older. But wait until then, okay? All you got from me aside from cuteness is your pretty eyes and the mischievous eyebrows." She raised one of hers at the boy. "With your daddy's face and those eyebrows you look like a troublemaker."_

_Rigel curled a hand around her finger. He sucked the tip of her finger into his mouth._

_"Alright," she conceded. "Mischief-maker, not troublemaker. Troublemakers are much worse." She sighed. "You are going to be a great man someday little one, I know it. I just wish that I could be there to see it happen." She smiled as she watched her son begin to nod off, fist still clenched around her finger. She gently dislodged the grip and moved one of his plush toys closer to him, smiling again as he cuddled into it. The toy was a recreation of her husband's Animagus form and Rigel wouldn't sleep without the little black dog._

_"You take care of him Padfoot," she said seriously to the dog. "Understand?"_

Sirius nodded, even as he felt himself leave the memory. "I will Diane. I couldn't do it before but that changes now. I'll take care of our son."

* * *

Harry spooned some of his soup into his mouth as he continued ignoring Neville's piercing gaze. He knew that the boy wanted to talk about his recent behavior and his relationship to his godfather.

To say that Neville had been shocked when he learned of the truth would be an understatement. He had been flabbergasted and he had needed to sit down from the shock. However, once it had dissipated he had been happy. Happy for Harry. Happy that Harry had gotten the father that he needed with the way his life was going. It was irritating for Harry because he knew what Neville was thinking, even if the boy was too much of a pacifist to reprimand Harry like Hermione would have done. Now he was starting to regret telling the shy boy.

"He's looking at me again, isn't he?" asked Harry.

Neville turned to look towards the Head Table. Sirius was sitting there and blatantly staring at Harry, a touch of sadness in the grey eyes. "Yep. He is."

Harry sighed. "Figures," he muttered. It had been four days since their conversation and he had been doing everything to avoid Sirius. Luckily Harry had the Marauders' Map and his dad's—_James's_—Invisibility Cloak.

Neville looked between them. "I don't get why you are so resilient," he commented. "I mean, you go from being an orphan to having a father. And from what I've seen and what you have said Sirius is more than willing."

Harry shook his head slightly as he took a gulp of his pumpkin juice. "It's more complicated than that," he muttered with a sigh. "I know that it sounds cliché, but it is more me than him."

Neville frowned at him. "What? Are you afraid of being hurt?"

Harry shook his head. "No. It's more like I am afraid of opening myself up." He grimaced slightly and shook his head. "No, that doesn't sound right either. It's like…I have a father, but I don't know what I am supposed to do with that. I don't want to do something to ruin what I already have with Sirius."

Neville's brow furrowed in confusion. "Harry I think that he just wants to have a father/son relationship with you."

"But that's what I mean!" hissed Harry. "What does a father/son relationship even mean? I certainly don't know."

"I think that you aren't expected to know. I don't think that it is something you can learn. Maybe-…Harry?" His voice shifted.

"What?"

"Harry, what are you doing?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at Neville. "What is it?"

Neville appeared to be getting nervous. "Harry, something's happening to your face. It's like…It's like it's fuzzy."

Harry frowned and reached a hand up to feel his face, but he froze when he saw his hand. It was like the image of it was blurred and out of focus as if his glasses weren't on. "What the hell?" he hissed in shock. "What's going on?"

Neville's gaze shot to the pumpkin juice. "I think that someone spiked your drink, Harry!" he exclaimed. "Did Fred and George do it? A prank?"

"No," said Harry with a shake of the head. "This is strange. It is almost like Polyjuice Potion." His eyes widened suddenly. "Revealing Potion! The glamour!"

Neville's eyes widened as well. "Shit!" Harry cursed again, pushing himself away from the table and to his feet. He ignored the stares as he rushed out of the hall, stumbling and nearly falling in his haste. He couldn't let anyone see him morph into someone else!

Harry couldn't believe it! Had Sirius done this? Had he placed a potion in his drink in an attempt to see what Harry looked like? Maybe he thought that visible proof would help Harry.

He stared at his hands as he ran, watching them alter and grow. His skin lightened and his fingers lengthened, the freckles and other markings vanishing. He suddenly lost his balance and collapsed to the floor as he felt himself shoot up. He pushed himself back up, noticing that the cuffs of his pants now only barely reached past his knees.

His feet steered him towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, the one place where no one would go. Both because of Myrtle and because it was a girls' restroom. A quick glance around the room told him that Myrtle wasn't present.

After a moment of hesitation he stepped in front of the mirror. He quickly realized that his vision was fuzzy and unclear, so he removed his glasses. What he saw was so shocking that he had to lean against the sink to support himself. Gone was any resemblance to James or Lily Potter. His face, the face he had seen in the mirror for over a decade, was replaced with something entirely different.

He now bore a rather startling resemblance to Sirius. His face was longer and his cheekbones more pronounced than before. His jaw was now square, defined, and masculine as opposed to the delicate features he had before. His nose was longer, like Sirius's, yet it had a slightly upturned end. His eyes were no longer almond shaped, instead having heavy-lidded eyelids and being set deeper into his face. His eyebrows were thicker, again like Sirius's, though they had an upturned peak that the elder Black lacked. His hair had gone from a deep brown to black, and the messy mop had smoothed down into a faintly wavy tone. His skin tone had lightened drastically to match the color of Sirius's; the very pale tone that all Blacks seemed to have. However, the most catching difference was that his eyes, which were once the bright green of Lily Potter, were now a deep, luminous purple which could have put Elizabeth Taylor's to shame.

He looked down and began to examine his body as well. The most noticeable thing was that he was taller. He appeared to have grown at least six inches. While he had been short for his age before, about 5'5", now he seemed to be pushing six feet tall. The waistline for his pants, or rather Dudley's pants, was smaller as well, showing that his waistline had increased along with height. His shirt felt wrong, and he noticed that his shoulders seemed to have widened and his arms had grown longer as well. When he ran an enlarged hand down his torso he could feel his ribs nearly poking through his skin. His underfed status was far more visible now than it was when he was smaller.

"Oh my God," he choked out. Harry made a strangled noise when the voice that emerged from his throat was that of a stranger. It was deeper, though not as deep as Sirius's, and had a faintly gravelly undertone.

He felt himself slide down to the floor as his mind tried to process the shock of what he had seen in the mirror. Some part of him, however small, had been holding onto the possibility that it was all a lie, or perhaps a misunderstanding. But he couldn't think that way now, now that he had seen the proof with his own eyes.

He pushed his fists against his eyes to stem the tears he felt welling up. He would not cry again.

"Harry?"

He looked up to see Luna standing next to him. She was holding several books and she was wearing her radish earrings. However, her gaze was focused clearly on him instead of some invisible creature for once.

"L-Luna?" he choked out. He winced again at the deep voice that had replaced his own.

Luna sat down next to him, placing her books on the ground. Shockingly enough she reached her arms around him and squeezed him in a hug. "It's okay," she whispered softly.

This was like the final straw. His tears began to pour out as all his emotions seemed to explode. His body violently shuddered as he sobbed yet Luna continued to hold him tightly.

When he felt like he had wrung himself dry he turned to look at the blonde girl. She smiled at him and gently removed herself. "There," she said. "Don't you feel better now?"

He gave her a weak smile. "How did you know that it was me?"

She reached up and tapped the tip of his nose. "I saw you run out of the Great Hall and I followed you. I admit that it was a surprise but it isn't the weirdest thing to have happened."

Harry gave a weak laugh. "Well in this school you're right."

She rubbed his arm. "You should rest," she said. "Go back to the Tower and take a nap to help clear your head."

He opened his mouth to protest but it was halted when Luna placed a hand over his mouth. "Please?" she asked. He sighed inwardly and nodded.

"Sure Luna. For you."

She smiled brightly and hopped to her feet. "Okay. Now I am going to go to Charms. I hope that Professor Flitwick doesn't mind me being late."

Harry felt a pang of guilt. "Luna, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," she interrupted. "You are more important. Now, I will be asking Neville to check if you are asleep, alright? You had better be."

He chuckled slightly and nodded as he stood. "Okay." He smiled fondly as he watched her skip out of the room. "She is something else…"

Harry kept his promise, making his way towards Gryffindor Tower directly from the bathroom. He kept the map on him so that he could avoid people; he was wearing clothing that was ill-fitting and he didn't look like any of the students so no doubt suspicion would be high around him.

He studied the hand holding the map in fascination. His hand was larger with long elegant fingers and tiny black hairs on the back of it. For him it was like having switched bodies with someone else.

Even walking felt different. His legs were a good deal longer and so every stride took him farther than it did before. Though it was annoying how his pants were almost like shorts on his legs. This had to be the first time he was grateful for the extra width in Dudley's pants. Before he knew it his longer strides had taken him to the Gryffindor entrance.

"Password, dear? Oh, who might you be handsome boy?"

He felt heat rush to his face as he looked from the map to the portrait of the fat lady. "Acromantula," he answered quickly. As soon as the portrait opened he ducked into the common room. Luckily for him it was empty apart from a few first years playing chess who would not dare to comment on an older student. He hurried over to the stairs and rushed up to the dorms, closing the door quickly behind him.

Harry dug around in his trunk for some clothes to change into. Normally he could have borrowed Ron's clothes, except for two problems: 1) Ron and he hadn't spoken much since the argument with Hermione, and 2) Ron was tall but far too thin for Harry's current state.

Harry sighed and simply cast an _Engorgio_ on one of his outfits. He waited until they were approximately the correct size before doing the shirt to match. It wasn't perfect and _Engorgio_ wasn't made for clothing but it would do until he could get a replacement. There was supposed to be a Hogsmeade weekend in two days. Surely he could last until then.

He winced to himself. What was he going to do? No one knew him by face except for Luna and soon Neville. He was missing clothing that fit correctly and he didn't even _sound_ the same. No one would believe him. Well, Sirius and Dumbledore would, but the first was not really an option.

He sighed as he drew his curtains shut and cast a Sticking Charm on them to keep them shut. When he woke up he could just go see Professor Dumbledore and explain. Then maybe the man could either re-cast the glamour or he could give Harry another way out of this mess.

* * *

Sirius groaned and rolled over, trying to get away from the irritating poking. He grimaced as the finger continued to poke him except now in the back of his head. He sighed, lamenting the loss of sleep, before sitting up. He turned to look at the small figure of Dobby, who appeared to have been the one poking him.

"Mister Sirius Black sir is awake!" exclaimed the excitable elf.

Sirius rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Yeah I am. Now why am I awake?"

Dobby's eyes widened comically. "Oh!" He held a letter out for Sirius. "Mister Dumbly wants Dobby to give Mister Sirius Black a letter."

Sirius yawned again as he took the letter and the House-Elf popped away. He glared at the spot in annoyance. Damn elves. He tore open the letter with perhaps a bit more violence than necessary.

_Sirius_

_I am sorry to awaken you so soon, but a situation has come to my attention that needs immediate addressing. Apparently someone has seen fit to reveal your son by way of a Revealing Potion in his drink. As expected this has released the glamour on him._

_He came to me last night to see if I could replace the glamour on him. Unfortunately, I cannot. I have excused him from the classes he has today. I will be spending the weekend trying to divine a solution. He has told me that he will be going to Hogsmeade to get new clothing tomorrow._

_I thought you should know in case he has not told you yet. He will most likely be hiding out in the Gryffindor dorms for the day. I told him that the guest rooms have an extra bedroom for him, but he apparently has chosen to stay in the Gryffindor dorms._

_When you get a chance I will need you to stop by my office. We must decide what we will do now. There is no way that Harry can be sufficiently disguised and we may have to reveal the truth about his parentage._

_Prof. Dumbledore_

Sirius was sure that his heart had stopped beating for a few moments as he finished the letter. It was completely shocking. He wasn't even sure which part of the letter stood out to him the most. The fact that someone had known to put a Revealing Potion in Rigel's drink made him nervous. The fact that the glamour was broken was great. The fact that Rigel wanted the glamour replaced made him want to cry. The fact that Rigel had to get new clothing made him curious.

He tossed the letter aside as he hurried to get dressed and ready. If his son was going to be hiding out in the Gryffindor dorms then this was the perfect chance for Sirius to go confront him. There would be no escaping Sirius! Muahaha!

Sirius paused, halfway into his robe, as he realized in what direction his mind was going. 'Guess the story of all Blacks having a touch of madness is true,' he thought to himself with a snort. 'It just doesn't always show up in the same way.'

He finished getting dressed and ready before slipping on a pair of boots and scurrying out of the room. Well, more like hopping on one foot out the door as he pulled one boot onto the other foot. When that was done he took off at a very fast pace towards the tower.

* * *

Sirius crept into the Gryffindor common room, ignoring the ranting of the Fat Lady. It appeared that she had never quite forgiven him for the incident two years ago when he slashed her portrait. Ah, well. Live and learn and all that crap.

Sirius hurried over to the staircase and dashed up the familiar path. He grinned to himself when he stopped on the small landing outside the Fifth Year's dorm. This was the same dorm room that he had stayed in with James, Remus, and Peter. It was quite a coincidence. He cracked the door open quietly, eyes scanning for his son's form. His gaze was immediately drawn to the second to last bed, where a figure sat. A light on the bedside table illuminated the figure's face.

Sirius's breath caught in his throat as he saw the true face of his son for the first time ever. He staggered against the doorframe as he felt his legs go weak under him. Seeing Rigel for the first time…was incredible.

'He looks like me.' Was the first thought that came to his mind as he saw his son's real face. Rigel looked almost identical to how Sirius himself had looked at that age, albeit a few differences. He had Diane's beautiful violet eyes, her mischievous upturned eyebrows (even if they were thick like Sirius's), and strangely enough his brother's nose. Other than that they were the same.

"Who's there?" demanded his son as he looked towards the door. His eyebrows drew together in the same way that Sirius's did as he put aside the book on his lap and stood, wand in hand.

Sirius suddenly realized that it was more than in just face; Rigel's voice was like his as well. Albeit a bit higher in pitch but then that could be explained by the fact that he was only fifteen.

Sirius took in the rest of his appearance. His son had obviously gotten his build and height. Sirius was 6'3" and Rigel was well on the way. He had Sirius's broad shoulders as well.

He pulled together his Gryffindor courage and pushed the door open. "It's me," he said softly as he watched his son's face pale. He gave the boy a weak smile. "We need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: I know that Grindelwald had blue eyes; slight change there. I actually had the hardest time choosing between blonde hair or black hair for Rigel.**

**This won't be a Dark fic, but there will later be Dark-sympathetic views.**

_****CHALLENGE****_

**Like my story? Try one of your own. There are few, if no, stories with lesser-known characters as Harry's father or parents. Try one with Regulus Black and Lily, though maybe make her pureblood. I have never seen one with Barty Crouch Jr.; that would be fun. Maybe a time-travelling one with Salazar Slytherin. Perhaps one of the Prewett brothers. Even the lesser known, like Evan Rosier(?).  
**

**Or you could change his mother. Lily seems like a nice girl; she would take in James's illegitimate son. Or maybe she can't have any! Try one of the lesser-known females? Andromeda Tonks perhaps? Or maybe a time-travelling Helena Ravenclaw! You really never know. Heck, create a character!**

**If you do can you tell me? I ADORE those types of stories (in case you didn't notice). Differences are fun!**


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